A California doctor accused of sending “sexually motivated” messages to a pair of high school cheerleaders was sentenced on Friday to six months in jail.
David Lee Haller, 55, was convicted of two misdemeanor counts of annoying or molesting a minor in August, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Haller, a family practice physician, was also sentenced to a year of probation and ordered to register as a sex offender, The Orange County Register reported.
“This is about as serious as it gets, so far as misdemeanors, in terms of the impact it has had on the victims,” Judge M. Marc Kelly said in court.
According to the Register, Haller was accused of sending two 15-year-old Newport Harbor High School students messages via social media in late 2017. At the time, Haller was a volunteer for the UC Irvine Spirit Cheerleading team and also worked as a doctor for multiple events at the high school, the newspaper reported.
Prosecutors said Haller contacted one of the teens through a direct message on Instagram, pretending to be a middle school cheerleader, according to the Register.
Haller did not deny posing as a 14-year-old Edison High student on Instagram, asking his victims if boys looked up their skirts and making comments about their undergarments, the Times reported.
When the second victim blocked Haller, he allegedly used a Snapchat account to ask about cheerleading uniforms and if he could donate money to her while implying he had been watching her, according to the Register.
“I constantly fear that someone is watching over me,” one of the victims, referred to only as Mary during proceedings, told the court via telephone, the Times reported. “I was, and still am, always looking over my shoulder.”
The other victim, identified only as Katie T., was present during the hearing, according to the newspaper.
“I’m honestly still terrified to go outside alone,” Katie said from a courtroom podium. “I’ve also felt so betrayed by the fact that he has been able to walk free and continue essentially as he has wanted over the past five years since.”
Haller remained employed as a family practice physician while his trial was in progress, the Times reported. According to his attorney, Peter Iocona, Haller is expected to lose his medical license once his conviction is formally reported to the California Medical Board.
“Over the years, I have tried to get forgiveness,” Haller said in court on Friday. “Unfortunately, I cannot talk directly to you, so I can only ask God and my family to forgive me ... I can promise you that you will never hear from me again.”