A Boise psychiatrist accused of sexually assaulting a patient last summer appeared in court Wednesday for a hearing that included testimony from the alleged victim and arguments over whether he should remain in custody.
WATCH: What happened inside the courtroom
According to prosecutors, 46-year-old Alexander Wills was working as a psychiatrist at Parma Health in downtown Boise when the woman, who had been out of her prescribed medication for about 10 days, scheduled an appointment after previously seeing other providers at the clinic. She testified that during that appointment, Wills made religious statements, telling her the rapture was coming and that she needed to “get right with Jesus.”
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The court ordered that witnesses not be recorded or visually identified during the hearing.
The woman told the court that the next night, after she texted Wills with questions about her mental health and a phone call in which he said she should not be alone, Wills picked her up outside his office, drove her to a hotel and forced sexual contact, including digital penetration. She testified she repeatedly told him to stop and reported the encounter to law enforcement within days.
On cross-examination, defense attorneys questioned her credibility; why she continued communicating with Wills afterward, whether she had been drinking that night and why she accepted a ride to her car.
The state then called a detective, who testified that the woman reported forced sexual contact in early September.
After testimony, the hearing shifted to the issue of bail. Defense attorneys asked the judge to release Wills, acknowledging that after being arrested and released on bail last fall, he cut off his GPS ankle monitor and left Idaho.
“We submit that his court trusts him to be able to be on house arrest… and be a model example,” defense told the court.
Prosecutors argued Wills was a flight risk and cited his arrest in California.
“Those demonstrate the risk the defendant is, not only to the community, but the risk of flight. He had made his way all the way to Southern California by the time that he was arrested in California,” the state told the court.
The judge ruled that Wills violated release conditions and denied bail.
“There has been a willful violation… cutting off the scram, leaving the state, committing a crime in California…” the judge said.
Wills’ arraignment is scheduled for Feb. 3.
