Dr. Kenneth Donald Haygood, 54, a suspended doctor from Tyler, Texas, stands accused of sexually assaulting four patients, one of whom was a child. He is currently being held in jail on a bond of $3,550,000.
The accusations against Dr. Haygood emerged following his suspension by the Texas Medical Board in 2023 due to complaints regarding inappropriate conduct. The suspension was implemented immediately on October 24, 2023, after a disciplinary panel of the Texas Medical Board found that his continuation in medical practice posed a threat to public welfare. Dr. Haygood had been previously restricted from seeing and treating female patients based on a June 2023 Final Order.
The alleged incidents span over several years, with the earliest complaint dating back to December 27, 2007. According to an arrest affidavit, a woman reported that Dr. Haygood sexually assaulted her when she was eight years old during a medical appointment to have her thyroid checked. She claimed that the assault occurred while her mother was briefly called out of the exam room by office staff. The victim, who delayed reporting the incident until hearing about Dr. Haygood's suspension, cited anxiety as a factor in the delay.
Another affidavit alleges an assault on December 5, 2018, where a woman stated that Dr. Haygood sexually assaulted her during a massage appointment for sciatica issues. She reported the incident to the Tyler Police Department the following day, providing details that corroborated her initial report made to the MFCU sergeant on November 30, 2023. Additionally, she mentioned that Dr. Haygood conducted multiple pelvic exams that she believed were medically unnecessary during previous appointments.
A third patient reported being assaulted during an examination and massage in 2017 or 2018, while a fourth patient alleged being groomed for sexual assault starting in 2018, with assaults occurring during subsequent visits over the following three months. The fourth patient also claimed that Dr. Haygood monitored her activities through a phone app and installed a camera in her house.
On February 13, 2024, Smith County Sheriff Deputies arrested Dr. Haygood, booking him into the Smith County Jail on three charges of sexual assault and one charge of aggravated sexual assault of a child. His bond has been set at $3,550,000.
