EVERETT — A former Everett optometrist accused of groping a 10-year-old patient also is under investigation in North Carolina for downloading child pornography.
Everett detectives suspect John Patrick O’Brien was generating his own sexually explicit images in August when he photographed a young patient in various stages of undress. O’Brien, 33, allegedly took off the girl’s shirt, pants and underwear while her father was in the next room.
Everett detectives reportedly recovered eight photographs of the child from O’Brien’s cellphone. They continue to search the computers seized at O’Brien’s home. There is an indication that he removed the hard drives after he was first contacted by police in September. Detectives have analyzed a hard drive that they say O’Brien tried to hide when they arrested him a second time. The hard drive allegedly contained a folder that made reference to a child pornography site. It did not contain any evidence related to the Everett case or other potential victims, Snohomish County deputy prosecutor Andrew Alsdorf wrote in court documents.
Alsdorf charged O’Brien on Friday with first-degree child molestation and possession of depictions of a minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct.
O’Brien remained behind bars Friday on $750,000 bail. He is expected to be in court later this month to answer to the charges. He has denied the allegations.
Alsdorf plans to ask a judge to prohibit O’Brien from working as an optometrist or having any contact with minors while the case is pending.
There is photographic evidence that reveals “an exceptionally bold, predatory, and reckless compulsion to commit child molestation (a violent offense) despite the risks of being caught,” Alsdorf wrote.
The defendant’s wife has left the state with the couple’s three young children, ages 5, 2 and 5 months, court papers said. The family moved here from Fayetteville, North Carolina, in July. They had operated an eye clinic there for about six months. Before that O’Brien was in the military and stationed at Fort Bragg for four years. He and his wife, also an optometrist, were in the process of opening their own practice in Issaquah.
At the time of the incident O’Brien was working at Eye Doctors Ltd., 3726 Broadway, in the Gateway Center Plaza. The girl’s father brought her in Aug. 20. A different doctor examined her eyes. Her father and sisters were in the room. The family was taken back to the waiting room while the girl’s eyes dilated. O’Brien came out and told the girl’s father he wasn’t needed for the next part of the appointment.
The girl reported that O’Brien examined her eyes. He then told her take off her shirt. When the girl asked why, O’Brien reportedly said, “I don’t know.” She questioned him again and he told her he needed to check her symptoms.
“The defendant started speaking in a deep voice and appeared angry, with a red face, which scared” the girl, Alsdorf wrote.
The defendant, who is 6 feet 5 inches tall, groped the girl and then told her to put her shirt back on. O’Brien allegedly pulled down the girl’s pants. She repeatedly tried to pull up her pants but he held on to the belt loops, Alsdorf wrote. The girl said O’Brien told her to pose. He then pulled down her underwear. The girl saw O’Brien with a cellphone that he attempted to hide behind his back, court papers said.
The girl was allowed to pull up her pants. She reported that O’Brien told her she didn’t need glasses and her body was healthy. He brought the girl to her father. The girl said she was too scared and nervous to tell her father so she waited until she was home and reported it to her mother.
The family took the girl to the hospital immediately. A nurse collected swabs from the girl’s body to be tested for DNA. Medical staff called police.
Everett police arrested O’Brien on Sept. 11 outside the clinic. He spoke with the detectives and acknowledged there was no reason for an eye patient to remove her clothes. Detectives asked him who might make an allegation of inappropriate touching.
O’Brien reportedly said, “Somebody after money.”
He denied asking the girl to remove her clothes or touching her or taking photographs. Police asked if they could search his phone. O’Brien agreed at first but withdrew his consent after investigators said it could be a few days to recover all of the deleted images.
O’Brien was released pending the examination of his phone. Police got a search warrant. Detective Steve Paxton later recovered 32 deleted images on the phone. The images were iterations of eight pictures taken of the girl, Alsdorf wrote.
The next day O’Brien was arrested outside his Bellevue home. Officers saw O’Brien remove items from his pocket and stash them between two children’s car seats. Police recovered a hard drive and his wife’s phone from the vehicle. Detectives seized numerous computers and storage devices from the home. The hard drives installed on O’Brien’s laptop and desk top are brand new, court papers said. The cops believe they were installed after the defendant was first interviewed by police.
“The defendant’s wife has confirmed that the defendant has a high degree of computer sophistication and built his own computer,” Alsdorf wrote.
North Carolina authorities have since contacted Everett detectives. O’Brien is suspected of downloading illegal images there, Alsdorf wrote. No other details about that investigation were included in court papers.
O’Brien has been fired from his job in Everett. The state Department of Health also launched an investigation.
Diana Hefley: 425-339-3463; hefley@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @dianahefley.
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