A former Lebanon County doctor, Samuel F. Rashid, faces ten new felony charges filed Friday, Sept. 20, over the alleged sexual assault of two juvenile girls during visits to his medical office between 1999 and 2002.
In 2016, Rashid was sentenced to serve six months to two years on four misdemeanor counts of indecent assault, charges to which he had entered a plea of no contest.
According to contemporary coverage by the Lebanon Daily News, Lebanon County President Judge John Tylwalk said at the time of the plea agreement, which included no admission of guilt, that the outcome was “a very unsatisfying ending.”
“Dr. Rashid never said: ‘I did these things,'” Tylwalk was quoted as telling the courtroom in 2016.
Another 2016 report quotes prosecutors as saying that more than 30 women had been willing to testify against Rashid if the case went to trial.
Now Rashid will again face a Lebanon County courtroom over the alleged abuse of his position as a family physician.
In a statement issued Friday, Sept. 20, North Londonderry Township Police announced charges against Rashid following an investigation into inappropriate touching at Lebanon Valley Family Medicine from two separate incidents occurring between 1999 and 2002. Police said Rashid was a practicing doctor at the medical facility during this time frame.
Rashid was charged with ten felonies, including multiple counts of aggravated indecent assault of a child, indecent assault of a person less than 13 years of age, endangering welfare of children, and corruption of minors.
According to the affidavit of probable cause, North Londonderry Township Police were contacted in June 2024 by a woman who said that Rashid had been her primary care physician until she was approximately in the third grade. The woman told police she recalled two incidents between the ages of four and eight when she was indecently assaulted by Rashid during child wellness visits to Lebanon Valley Family Medicine in Palmyra, where he practiced. The woman told police that during these visits, Rashid carried her from the exam room to his personal office where the incidents occurred.
Detective Eric Cassel of North Londonderry Township Police said in the affidavit that he reviewed Lebanon Valley Family Medicine’s records through a warrant and identified that, as a child, the woman had been seen at the offices 11 times between Jan. 7, 1999, and May 24, 2001, with three of those visits listed as child wellness visits or school physicals. All three of those child wellness visits indicated that she was seen by Rashid. The last visit made to Rashid’s office by the then-child was a kindergarten physical on May 24, 2001.
Detective Cassel said that on Tuesday, June 27, he made contact with a second woman “in reference to a prior report made years ago to this Police Department.”
Cassel said this report “also indicated similar reports of Rashid.”
According to the affidavit, Cassel spoke with the woman, who said she wished to move forward, and an interview was scheduled. Cassel said the woman reported to him in a July 2024 interview that she was indecently assaulted by Rashid during an office visit between 2000 and 2002.
In August, Cassel obtained a second search warrant for Lebanon Valley Family Medicine to share medical records of the woman. Cassel used the medical records to confirm that the woman had been evaluated by Rashid on June 14, 2001, according to the affidavit.
The criminal complaint states the alleged assaults took place respectively when the first victim was between 4 years old and 8 years old and when the second victim was between 4 years old and 6 years old.
Rashid was arraigned Friday in front of Magisterial District Judge David R. Warner Jr., who set unsecured bail at $100,000, which Rashid satisfied through a bond signature.
He will next appear in court on Thursday, Oct. 24, for a scheduled 8 a.m. preliminary hearing in front of Judge Warner.
Questions about this story? Suggestions for a future LebTown article? Reach our newsroom using this contact form and we’ll do our best to get back to you.
Free news isn’t cheap. If you value the journalism LebTown provides to the community, then help us make it sustainable by becoming a champion of local news. You can unlock additional coverage for the community by supporting our work with a one-time contribution, or joining as a monthly or annual member. You can cancel anytime.
More Top Stories
Something went wrong. Please refresh the page and/or try again.
