State v. McLeod

705 N.W.2d 776, 2005 Minn. LEXIS 699, 2005 WL 3071756
CourtSupreme Court of Minnesota
DecidedNovember 17, 2005
DocketA04-2404
StatusPublished
Cited by22 cases

This text of 705 N.W.2d 776 (State v. McLeod) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Minnesota primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. McLeod, 705 N.W.2d 776, 2005 Minn. LEXIS 699, 2005 WL 3071756 (Mich. 2005).

Opinions

OPINION

ANDERSON, RUSSELL A., Justice.

Respondent James Douglas McLeod, a pediatrician for 30 years, was charged by single complaint with three counts of criminal sexual conduct arising out of incidents of alleged sexual abuse against Child A and an incident of alleged sexual abuse against Child B. The alleged abuse against Child A began only six days after the alleged abuse of Child B. Both children, who were teenage male patients of McLeod, came forward independently to complain of sexual abuse that had occurred when their parents were out of the examination room. For the alleged incidents of abuse against Child A, McLeod was charged with one count of criminal sexual conduct in the first degree, Minn.Stat. § 609.342, subd. 1(b) (2004), and one count of criminal sexual conduct in the second degree, Minn.Stat. § 609.343, subd. 1(b) [780]*780(2004). For the alleged incident of abuse against Child B, McLeod was charged with one count of criminal sexual conduct in the second degree. Id. On motion by McLeod, the district court severed the charges relating to Child A from the charge relating to Child B.

After the district court severed the charges relating to the two teenage patients, the state moved to introduce evidence of the alleged sexual abuse against Child B as Spreigl evidence1 in the trial pending on the charges of criminal sexual conduct against Child A. The district court denied the state’s Spreigl motion, determining that there was not clear and convincing evidence that McLeod acted toward Child B with sexual or aggressive intent, a requisite element for criminal sexual conduct in the second degree, the crime McLeod allegedly committed against Child B. The state appealed from the pretrial order under Minn. R.Crim. P. 28.04, subd. 2. Before the court of appeals received the Spreigl hearing transcript, it dismissed the pretrial appeal, concluding that the state had failed to make the requisite threshold showing that exclusion of the evidence would have a critical impact on the pending trial. We conclude that exclusion of the Spreigl evidence would have a critical impact on the pending trial and that the district court’s Spreigl ruling was in error, and we reverse and remand to the district court for further proceedings.

Child A

In 2003, Child A’s therapist reported to the police Child A’s allegations of criminal sexual conduct by McLeod, which the state claims occurred when Child A was between 13 and 15 years old. According to the criminal complaint, Child A claimed that the sexual abuse began during a medical examination on August 15, 2001. McLeod told Child A to remove all of his clothes for a physical exam and then, after touching Child A’s penis, McLeod “put his mouth on [Child A’s] penis and performed oral sex on him.” Then, McLeod allegedly told Child A that what happened should be kept between the two of them. The complaint against McLeod further alleges that on approximately seven or eight occasions between August 2001 and the summer of 2003, McLeod “would masturbate [Child A’s] penis, perform oral sex on him, or both.”

Child B

The state’s allegations regarding Child B arise from a single medical appointment with McLeod on August 9, 2001, when Child B was 15 years old. Previously, at his annual checkup in June, Child B had mentioned to McLeod that he had difficulty retracting his foreskin when he had an erection. At the June appointment, McLeod recommended that Child B try to stretch the foreskin and said that he would check back at their next appointment to see if there was any improvement. At the August 9 appointment, Child B, Child B’s mother, and McLeod first discussed Child B’s Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD). Then McLeod told Child B’s mother to leave the examination room. McLeod and Child B were alone. McLeod then asked Child B about his foreskin problem and Child B told him that the stretching treatment was not helping. McLeod told Child B that he wanted to see the problem for himself.

[781]*781Child B’s report of what happened next differs from McLeod’s statement to the Health Investigations Division of the Minnesota Attorney General’s Office for the Minnesota Board of Medical Practice (Medical Board). Child B stated that he got up on the examination table and McLeod instructed Child B to lay down and to lower his pants and underwear. When Child B moved to lower his pants and underwear, McLeod grabbed both articles of clothing and pulled them down himself. McLeod, without using any gloves, then pulled back Child B’s foreskin a few times and asked Child B if it was painful. Child B explained that his problem was not painful but that he could not retract his foreskin when he had an erection. Child B then stated that McLeod began massaging Child B’s penis in order “to get me an erection.” Child B said that he told McLeod that he thought McLeod’s actions were “kind of weird,” but McLeod responded, “Oh, I know you’re not homosexual,” and told Child B that everyone has thoughts about homosexuality.

When Child B was not becoming stimulated, Child B reported that McLeod tried various other methods, including “flicking” water from the sink onto Child B’s penis and telling Child B to imagine a “hot” girl with “big tits.” At one point, McLeod left the examination room and came back with two packets of K-Y jelly, which McLeod applied to Child B’s penis. Child B reported that, after a few more minutes, McLeod licked his fingers two or three times and continued massaging. McLeod stopped after about 10-15 minutes and told Child B to get off the table and pull up his pants. According to Child B, McLeod said, “That’s okay. We’ll try again [in] 6-8 weeks though.” McLeod washed his hands and they both left the examination room.

Child B quickly walked to the waiting area and sat very close to his mother. Child B’s mother reported that Child B looked “flushed,” was acting “different[ly],” and was very quiet. McLeod mentioned that he wanted to see Child B in 6 to 8 weeks to monitor the ADD medication. Child B’s mother stated that McLeod curtly said that he wanted to see “just [Child B]” — which she found odd because she-would have to drive Child B to any examination because he did not yet have his driver’s license.

After they left, Child B told his mother what had happened. Child B’s mother contacted other medical professionals to verify that McLeod’s behavior was inappropriate in a medical examination and they instructed her to call the police. Both Child B and his mother gave statements to the police. Child B also provided the boxer shorts he had been wearing for DNA testing, but results showed DNA consistent with only one contributor, Child B. Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension forensic scientist, Kristine Deters, however, suggested that it was possible that a second DNA source could be present, but that Child B’s DNA was predominant, thus blocking any other source from showing up on the tests. A doctor who had advised Child B’s mother to contact the police also reported McLeod to the Medical Board.

In his statement to the Medical Board, McLeod’s version of the August 9, 2001, appointment is significantly different.2 He stated that while he did examine Child B’s [782]*782genitalia, it was at Child B’s request for treatment of Child B’s foreskin problem. He did not pull down Child B’s pants, he did not attempt to give Child B an erection, he did not use water, saliva, or K-Y jelly on Child B’s genitalia, and he used gloves.

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State v. McLeod
705 N.W.2d 776 (Supreme Court of Minnesota, 2005)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
705 N.W.2d 776, 2005 Minn. LEXIS 699, 2005 WL 3071756, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-mcleod-minn-2005.