Former Warner Robins doctor faces sexual assault charges in Wyoming

A former Warner Robins doctor is facing 12 counts of sexual assault in another state.

Dr. Paul Harnetty, 46, who specialized in obstetrics and gynecology, is accused of fondling some of his patients during regular exams when he worked in Casper, Wyoming, according to KTWO-TV.

When he practiced in Warner Robins, Harnetty was the subject of a complaint filed Oct. 15, 2010 with the Georgia Composite Medical Board by women who said he abandoned them when it was time for their babies to be delivered.

It was unclear how that complaint resolved. The Georgia board’s website showed no public board orders against him.

Kelly Burke, a Warner Robins attorney who represented the women, said he does not know whether the state board took any disciplinary action related to the complaint.

Some actions are kept “private” by the medical board, or there may not have been any action, Burke said.

“The rule is that unless it is a public resolution, that it remains private, and that is probably because of the inherent concerns about patient confidentiality and so forth that goes with doctors more so than with other professions,” Burke said. “It’s got to be pretty severe to be a public discipline, and if it is, then at that point, I guess, they decide to make it public knowledge.”

Burke said no civil action was filed in relation to the women’s complaint.

Harnetty did report a $1 million medical malpractice settlement on Dec. 14, 2010 to the Georgia medical board. The website did not disclose what the settlement was about.

Patricia Sherman, manager of Office of Investigations & Enforcement for the Georgia medical board, could not be reached for comment.

Harnetty was arrested by Maple Grove, Minnesota, police, in January on a Natrona County, Wyoming, warrant.

He was wanted on multiple counts of criminal sexual conduct, said Maple Grove police Capt. Adam Lindquist.

Harnetty was arrested after a plain-clothes, “safe -streets unit” operation.

Police got a tip from Wyoming authorities that Harnetty was living in Maple Grove and the specialized unit conducted surveillance on his residence, Lindquist said.

A vehicle stop was made when Harnetty left the residence, and he was arrested without incident, Lindquist said.

Harnetty was taken to the Hennepin County Detention Center, where he was jailed pending extradition to Wyoming, Lindquist said.

There are no known reports of Harnetty practicing in Minesota, and it’s unclear how long he had lived in Maple Grove, Lindquist said.

Harnetty was charged with nine counts of criminal sexual conduct in the second degree and three counts of criminal sexual conduct in the third degree, the Casper-Star Tribune reports.

Casper police Sgt. Mike Ogden, lead investigator on the case, could not be reached for comment, while the Natrona County, Wyoming, District Attorney’s Office, declined comment.

Harnetty voluntary surrendered his Wyoming medical license last fall rather than face a continued investigation by the Wyoming Board of Medicine for wrongful practice, according a disciplinary action list on the board’s website.

Among the complaints that the board had been investigating was his arrest, while on call, for public intoxication, a misdemeanor, K2-Radio reports.

This story was originally published February 15, 2017 at 5:50 PM with the headline "Former Warner Robins doctor faces sexual assault charges in Wyoming."