Pediatrician accused of assault gives up license

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EAU CLAIRE, Wis. (AP) — An Eau Claire pediatrician acquitted of most sexual assault charges against him agreed to give up his medical license so the remaining counts will be dismissed.

Dr. David Van de Loo, 61, was accused of having sexual contact with 15 juvenile male patients while working at Mayo Clinic Heath System in Eau Claire. Defense attorneys argued the contact was nothing more than a medical procedure. In February, Van de Loo was acquitted on 14 of 16 counts. The jury was hung on the other two charges and a mistrial was declared.

Tuesday afternoon in court, Van de Loo agreed to surrender his license to the State of Wisconsin Medical Examining Board, ending the criminal case against him. Van de Loo is still facing several civil lawsuits filed by the families of the juvenile patients involved, WEAU-TV reported.

“The big picture here is Dr. Van de Loo has been fully vindicated of all of the bad that was said about him during the course of this case,” defense attorney Rich White said.

White said his client decided to surrender his medical license in exchange for the dismissal of the two remaining charges because it was in his best interest to end the long legal battle. The sexual assault allegations against Van de Loo first surfaced in fall 2012. The teenagers said he inappropriately touched them during sports physical exams.

Eau Claire County District Attorney Gary King said the individuals who came forward are glad Van de Loo will never practice medicine again. He said as a result of the case, the Mayo Clinic Health System has made changes to its policy and procedure.

Information from: WEAU-TV, http://www.weau.com