SOUTH FULTON, Ga. — Medical staff testified Monday that a former police officer on trial for sexually assaulting a 15-year-old ignored repeated requests to leave a hospital emergency room on the night of the alleged assault.
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Channel 2 Action News has been following the trial of former officer Sergeant Richard Gooddine.
Multiple nurses and doctors testified that Gooddine became defensive and would not leave the area despite being told medical staff were handling a sensitive situation, according to testimony.
Video shown in court showed Gooddine, who was in uniform, surrounded by medical staff. Witnesses testified that he continued asking why he had to leave.
Medical staff said they could not explain the situation to him because of HIPAA privacy laws. At the time, they said the 15-year-old girl being treated was accusing Gooddine of rape.
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A nurse also testified that the girl and her family said the officer had been driving up and down Cleveland Avenue and watching them. The nurse told jurors that within minutes, an officer entered the emergency room, and the girl identified him as her alleged assailant.
According to the nurse’s testimony, the officer then looked at the girl and her family through the triage glass and began smiling.
Channel 2 Action News will continue following the trial.
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