Tyler doctor arrested for sexual assault

TYLER — A suspended Tyler doctor has been accused of sexually assaulting four patients, including a child, and is being held in jail on $3,550,000 bond. Dr. Kenneth D. Haygood was suspended on Oct. 24 by the Texas Medical Board for reportedly violating a June 2023 order stating he could not see or treat female patients. The board said he continued to pose a threat to “public welfare.” On Tuesday, he was booked into the Smith County Jail on three counts of sexual assault and one count of aggravated sexual assault of a child. He remains jailed on bonds totaling $3.55 million.

According to an arrest affidavit, the first incident happened in 2007 when a patient was under 10 years old. As an adult, the victim reported that they went to see Haygood to have their thyroid checked, but when their mother left the room, the patient said Haygood sexually assaulted them. The victim told investigators they waited to report the offense until news of Haygood’s suspension came out due to their anxiety.

In another incident, a patient reported that Haygood sexually assaulted them during an examination in which Haygood touched the patient inappropriately. The victim told investigators this happened sometime in late 2017 or early 2018. The victim also reported another time when Haygood touched them inappropriately during a massage, the affidavit read.

A third patient told investigators Haygood touched them inappropriately during an examination in 2018. He also offered massage therapy. This patient had 13 appointments with Haygood over a three-month period. During this time, the patient said Haygood sexually assaulted them and had the victim complete sexual acts that he claimed would help them, the affidavit stated. The victim told investigators they kept going because Haygood was a doctor and they felt she had to submit to his authority. The patient also said Haygood monitored their location using their phones and he installed a camera at her home, according to the document.

The fourth patient told investigators that Haygood touched them inappropriately during a massage and he also sexually assaulted them during an examination in 2018, the arrest document read.

In October, the TMB said the suspension will remain in place pending further action by the board.