UVM associate professor and Fletcher Allen doctor, Joseph Abate has been charged with multiple counts of sexual assault for allegedly touching the vaginal areas of several patients on multiple occasions, according to an affidavit of probable cause written by Detective Ed Soyohak. Abate was arrested in early June after his allegedly inappropriate behavior was brought to the attention of the Burlington Police, according to the affidavit. Abate put his hand on one patient’s clitoris, as part of what he said was a hip exam, according to the affidavit. At a follow-up appointment, Abate inserted his finger into a patient’s vagina, moving it in and out. “She stated it was ‘basically [her] G-spot where a girl gets stimulation,'” Detective Soyohak said in the affidavit. He is being charged with eight counts of sexual assault and six counts of lewd and lascivious conduct, a court docket stated. According to the affidavit: ? A victim referred to as AR came to the police on May 1 to report the incident. ? At an appointment, the doc?tor rubbed the patients vaginal area, at a following visit, he inserted his finger in her vagina, but gave her neither warning nor explained what he was do?ng. ? Police granted Soyokah a warrant to record a 45 minute conversation between Abate and AR after a series of e-mail Abate and AR after a series of e-mail correspondence ?Abate requested the patient to make appointments only after hours so she would not have to wait so long in the office or get billed by Fletcher Allen, wrote Abate in an e-mail to AR. ?Detectives Soyohak John Dunn were granted a warrant after recording a phone call between Abate and AR to obtain AR’s medical records. ? In the phone call, Abate brought up the exam he had conducted. ?He said he was trying to feel the “corner of the bone there,” when he put his finger in her vagina. ?In the conversation, he said that the exam was “kind of weird,” and acknowledged that he made her uncomfortable. He also said that he would “cut [his] arm off to make [AR] feel better.” ?Detectives Soyohak and Dunn met Abate on his way to his car after leaving work at the Sports Medicine Center in Colchester on June 4, 2007. ?Abate brought the detectives into his office where they interviewed him for two hours. ?Abate admitted that what he had done was wrong: “I should have worn gloves” and “it never should have happened. ?After obtaining AR’s medical records, Detective Soyohak noted that “Both entries did not appear to have any information about any hip exam.” Abate declined to comment on the pending case. Abate’s defense motioned to have “complete disclosure of information relating to the complainant’s prior allegations of sexual assault,” stating “In speaking of her willingness to gather information against Dr. Abate, AR said, that she wanted to ‘get him [Dr. Abate]’ because the last time “the guy got off.” The “parties were not able to reach an agreement, thereby necessitating the motion” said Sheehey Furlong and Behm PC, the attorneys for the defendant. AR’s father said, “I believe at this point in time, she would not wish to comment.” “If the allegations are true, I don’t think he should be a professor at all,” junior Sam Daniels said. “I don’t think I could respect him as a teacher,” Daniels commented on hypothetically having Abate as his professor. Abate is currently on administrative leave from the University pending the outcome of his trial, Carol Whitaker of the College of Medicine said.