Longview physician pleads guilty to sexual assault of child

LONGVIEW — A Longview doctor has pleaded guilty to a 2022 charge of sexual assault against a child, according to our news partner KETK.

The Texas Medical Board issued a suspension order after two of Matt Hipke’s former patients, both male under 17, accused him of sexual assault. This led the board to investigate Hipke and suspend his license. They then learned that Hipke had been previously accused of sexually assaulting another patient in 2018. Records show that neither child provided specific details to their parents or guardians regarding the scope or extent of the alleged inappropriate touching. After interviewing the two victims, police obtained a search warrant for Hipke’s office where they located inappropriate images of children on his computer.

Following this investigation, Hipke was arrested in August 2020 on two counts of sexual abuse of a child under the age of 14 and was released on a $1 million bond.

“Law enforcement was able to find evidence of search terms known to be used to obtain inappropriate images of children on the computer in the respondent’s office,” the Texas Medical Board order stated.

An affidavit from the Longview Police Department sheds more details on the case:

Hipke’s alleged abuse of the boys began in January 2019 and lasted until June 2020. The affidavit also stated that the guardian told police that “the behavior of both boys had begun to deteriorate and, when questioned, the boys told their guardian that Dr. Hipke had been ‘rubbing their penises’ during the therapy sessions.”

In the interviews, the boys said that when they first started seeing Hipke, “they would just talk.” In later appointments, though, one of the boys said Hipke “changed things up” and started “rubbing on his body,” according to the affidavit.

Both boys allege that during their sessions, Hipke would have them undress, including their underwear, and would “rub” their bodies and “private parts,” according to the affidavit.

Hipke’s medical license was temporarily suspended after the board determined that his practice of medicine “would constitute a continuing threat to public welfare,” according to the order.

Following his guilty plea on Monday, a sentencing hearing has been set for April 25.