A San Luis Obispo County jury found X-ray technician John Stephen O'Brien guilty of misdemeanor sexual battery against a patient at a local medical office.
The jury convicted 47-year-old O'Brien, of misdemeanor sexual battery for willfully and unlawfully touching an intimate part of a patient against her will for the purpose of sexual arousal, sexual gratification, and sexual abuse while working as an X-ray technician at a local medical office.
District Attorney Dan Dow announced the verdict on Wednesday, July 29 following a 7-day trial.
According to evidence presented at trial, the victim went to the medical office for a back X-ray back in May of 2024 and needed help tying her gown.
Once the X-rays were completed, O'Brien reportedly offered to untie the gown. When she agreed, O'Brien untied the gown, touched and rubbed her back, kissed her back, pressed his erection against her back, then reached around the front of her body and grabbed and squeezed her breasts twice.
The victim reported the incident to the medical office and law enforcement the same day.
When police interviewed O'Brien the following day, he admitted to grabbing the victim's breasts but claimed she had come on to him.
At trial, he again claimed her movements and body position were an invitation for the sexual touching. The jury rejected that claim.
The jury also heard testimony from a prior victim who had been a patient obtaining an X-ray in 2016 in San Luis Obispo County.
That victim testified to similar conduct by O'Brien, including unwanted touching of her private body parts.
"Patients place extraordinary trust in medical professionals, and that trust is especially important when a patient is in a vulnerable position during treatment," Dow said. "This verdict holds the defendant accountable for violating that trust and for the unlawful sexual abuse of a patient who did nothing to invite this conduct."
