A former medical assistant at the Country Doctor Community Clinic who is accused of raping and sexually abusing clinic patients inside the exam rooms is in custody at the King County Jail awaiting trial.
Bail was set at $200,000 for Fitsum Habtom Fikak, a 28-year-old medical assistant allegedly targeted patients who he knew to be fragile and unlikely to fight back once they received sexual attention. The charges state that Fikak began making unwanted advances on patients last September at the longtime community health clinic at 19th Ave. E and E. Republican St.
Fikak has been charged with indecent liberties. Trial setting is scheduled for Thursday, March 15. If convicted of the Class B felony, Fikak could spend up to a year in jail under standard sentencing guidelines, although the maximum sentence is 10 years in prison.
Dan Donohoe, spokesman for King County Prosecutor Norm Maleng's office, said he could not speculate on whether or not additional charges will be filed because there is still an ongoing investigation. If he is convicted, Fikak would have to register as a convicted sex offender after he is released from prison.
Fikak was stripped of his state-issued credentials after he was accused of groping a female patient and of repeatedly having sex with another female patient. According to court documents, Fikak told police that the sexual contact with the women was consensual. He pleaded not guilty at his March 6 arraignment.
The alleged victims are a 20-year-old woman and a 30-year-old woman who claim they were targets of unwanted sexual advances. The 30-year-old woman had previously been a victim of sexual abuse.
According to court documents, both women said they had repeatedly told Fikak "no," but that he was forceful and aggressive. Police noted that Fikak knew that both women were in a residential treatment program with another health care agency and were emotionally vulnerable. The alleged assaults occurred between September 2006 and February 2007 in the Country Doctor's Capitol Hill clinic.
Linda McVeigh, executive director of the clinic for the past 30 years, said the community has been supportive of the clinic in the wake of the charges. She said that patients do not seem to be acting differently at the clinic, though she said the staff is still shocked by the arrest and charges.
"The staff is very shaken by this, by someone who worked closely with us who allegedly abused the trust of patients," McVeigh said.
She said she knows they are shaken because of the conversation at the clinic.
"I think part of being in the caring profession is you are able to talk about your feelings more easily," McVeigh explained. "This is a close-knit team."
A background check by the Washington State Patrol before Fikak started working at the clinic revealed no criminal history or reason to be suspicious of him, McVeigh said.
The Country Doctor Community Clinic has served Capitol Hill for more than 35 years.
Freelance writer Korte Brueckmann can be reached at editor@capitolhilltimes.com.[[In-content Ad]]
