Jury Can't Reach Decision In Peabody Doctor's Sex Assault Trial

PEABODY, MA — A Peabody District Court jury could not decide whether a doctor's admission that he placed his hands on a patient's breasts, commented on her appearance and called her "sexy" amounted to sex assault. As a result, Judge James Barretto called a mistrial Monday afternoon in the case against Dr. Walter Levitsky, 86, of Topsfield, who had been accused of sexually assaulting a patient at his Peabody practice on March 1, 2017. The Essex County District Attorney's office said it plans to retry the case.

According to the Salem News, which first reported this story, Levitsky took the stand and admitted that he told the patient to "show me your boobs." But he said comments about her the way she looked were meant to reassure the woman about her appearance, who the newspaper said was in her 40s and visibly upset after Barretto declared the mistrial.

Previously on Patch: Defense In Peabody Doctor's Trial Attacks Witness Credibility

For more on this story, see the Salem News.