PARAGOULD - A Greene County District Court judge ordered a Paragould physician accused of photographing a woman during a gynecological examination to give up his passport and placed him in jail in lieu of a $500,000 bond Thursday.
Dr. Paul Becton, 68, was charged with five counts of video voyeurism after a woman said he took photographs of her during an examination without her consent. The woman, Ashtyn Cavazos of Paragould, also filed a civil lawsuit in Greene County against Becton on Thursday morning, hours before his bail hearing.
District Judge Dan Stidham bound Becton’s case over to Greene County Circuit Court and scheduled a plea hearing for May 30 in Paragould.
Becton was arrested in a Newport motel Wednesday evening after U.S. marshals located him through “pings,” or signals sent by his cellphone.
Becton has owned the Becton Women’s Clinic on West Kingshighway in Paragould since 2007. He previously worked at the Rogers Clinic for Women from 1984-92 and at Pinnacle Women’s Healthcare Inc. in Rogers from September 2004 to November 2005. He has also held private practices in Rogers and Bentonville.
Prosecuting Attorney Scott Ellington said Becton could face more charges. He said the investigation was ongoing Thursday and that he could not comment further on the case.
Ellington sought a warrant for Becton’s arrest last week after Cavazos told police that she believed Becton took photographs of her during an examination at the Paragould clinic.
In her lawsuit, Cavazos said she went to Becton on April 1 for an examination and was scheduled for a hysterectomy April 4. She said Becton and a nurse asked her to disrobe in the examination room, and the doctor and nurse left. Becton returned alone and conducted what Cavazos called a “somewhat suggestive” examination of her inner thigh and lower back, the lawsuit said.
She said that during the examination, she saw a reflection in a glass frame in the room ofBecton holding a cellphone horizontally and apparently taking pictures. “When she turned [she] saw Becton hurriedly place a cell phone in the pocket of his scrubs,” the lawsuit said.
In a letter sent to media accompanying the civil lawsuit, Cavazos’ attorney, Brett Mc-Daniel of Jonesboro, wrote that Cavazos wanted to make her case public.
“Despite the very private, painful and personal nature of what happened, Ms. Cavazos has asked we provide copies of her complaint to the media so the public can be made aware of Dr. Becton’s alleged misconduct and be protected from further abuse,” McDaniel wrote. “She is hopeful the details of her experience will help other patients in coming forward if they feel they may also have been violated.”
Ellington said the woman spoke with Paragould police, who contacted the Arkansas State Police. Investigators reported finding nude photographs on Becton’s phone at the clinic on April 3. On Monday, authorities sought an arrest warrant for Becton.
He was arrested about 7 p.m. Wednesday at the Fortune Innand Suites on U.S. 367 in Newport.
Blaine Fortune, an employee of the motel, said Becton checked into the motel about 6 p.m. Wednesday and that after Fortune gave him a room near the front, he asked for one in the back.
“He asked to be away from the front,” Fortune said.
U.S. Marshal Bob Clark said police tracked Becton to Newport through his cellphone and asked authorities there to look for his vehicle.
Within an hour, Newport police spotted, at the hotel, a car owned by Becton’s wife, Carol Becton, who was there with him.
“Police came, they knocked, he stepped outside and they put him in handcuffs,” Fortune said.
During the hearing Thursday, Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Adam Butler and Becton’s attorney, Chris Hitt of Paragould, sparred over whether Becton should be considered a flight risk.
“Bond isn’t necessary,” Hitt said. “He has no history of criminal conduct, and he is no threat to the public. Just because he has the means, doesn’t mean he is a flight risk.”
State police Special Agent Mike Grimes testified during the hearing that Hitt gave authorities differing answers about whether Becton would surrender to police after the warrant was issued.
Grimes said Hitt told him during the investigation that he could not reach Becton, but later said he was able to talk to him.
“We’ve gotten so many stories when he’d get back from you that we’ve lost count,” Grimes told Hitt in court. “It was a constant misdirection. It was apparent he was not going to turn himself in.”
Hitt said Becton had traveled to central Arkansas last week on personal business and was returning to Paragould to surrender when he stopped at the Newport hotel.
Stidham ordered Becton, who attended Thursday’s hearing in a gray-and-black Greene County jail uniform, held in lieu of the $500,000 bond. He also ordered Becton to not leave the area if he is freed on bond and said Becton could not contact his patients.
Arkansas, Pages 9 on 04/18/2014