A celebrated MCG professor has been arrested for sexual battery on a teenager inside the locker room at the Wilson Family YMCA on Wheeler Road.
Dr. William Hernando Salazar, 65, was charged April 4 with sexual battery. He is listed as a professor of Medicine and Psychiatry and Health Behavior at Augusta University-Medical College of Georgia, according to his LinkedIn page. However, Augusta University says he has not worked there for several months. A university spokesperson said he believes Salazar retired in December. (See statement at bottom.)
Authorities say he was inside the gym at the YMCA at 3 p.m. on March 25 when the crime occurred.
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The 17-year-old victim told officers that he was showering when he saw the older man watching him through the shower curtain. As he continued showering, the suspect undressed into only a towel. When the teen exited the shower in only a towel, the suspect moved closer to him. The victim moved down a few lockers and the suspect followed him, approached him and rubbed the teen’s buttocks and penis, authorities said.
An investigation into the incident led to Dr. Salazar’s arrest last Thursday for sexual battery, a misdemeanor. He was released from the Charles B. Webster Detention Center after paying a cash bond.
Dr. Salazar made news last year with the opening of Centro Medico, a new clinical space on Merry Street, which offers services to underserved populations in Augusta. Dr. Salazar was credited with spearheading the project while serving as president of Asociación Latina de Servicios del CSRA (ALAS) and medical director of Clinica Latina.
“It’s been a work of love and effort and a wonderful team collaboration,” Salazar said at the time. “The beauty of working with med students, PA and other College of Allied Health Sciences students, is that they have a sense of ownership, and we’ll provide the best care that we can to our patients.”
Here is a statement from Augusta University: “The Augusta University Police Department was notified by the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office that a former faculty member has been arrested for an alleged incident that occurred at a location that is not affiliated with the university and which allegedly took place several months after his employment at the university ended. The university will cooperate with the Sheriff’s Office and other authorities involved in the matter as requested.”
