A retired Medical College of Georgia professor with a long career in academic medicine and community health was found not guilty Tuesday of a misdemeanor sexual battery charge stemming from an incident reported last year at an Augusta YMCA.
According to court records, William Salazar was acquitted Tuesday.
Salazar had been accused of inappropriately touching a 17-year-old March 25, 2024, in the men’s locker room at the Wilson Family YMCA.
Salazar was arrested in April 2024 and charged with misdemeanor sexual battery. He was released on a $1,300 bond.
According to earlier reporting by The Augusta Press, the teen told law enforcement that Salazar approached him while he was showering, watched him through the shower curtain, then followed him down a row of lockers and grabbed his buttocks and genitals.
The juvenile said Salazar asked him to go to another area of the facility. The teen said he told Salazar he had to leave and told staff about the incident.
At the time of his arrest, Salazar was identified as a retired faculty member of the Medical College of Georgia, where he had taught medicine, psychiatry and health behavior. University officials previously said Salazar had retired months earlier and that the alleged incident occurred off campus at a location unaffiliated with the institution.
Beyond his academic career, Salazar is also known locally as the founder of Centro Medico Hispano, a nonprofit clinic established to provide medical care to Augusta’s Hispanic and uninsured populations. The clinic has operated for years as a safety net provider in the community.
Salazar pleaded not guilty and was represented at trial by defense attorney Keith B. Johnson. The case was tried Tuesday in Richmond County State Court before Robert W. Hunter III, records showed. The jury returned a not guilty verdict.
Misdemeanor sexual battery in Georgia carries a potential penalty of up to 12 months in jail and fines upon conviction. Tuesday’s verdict closes the criminal case against Salazar.
