A former doctor was found dead just three days before he was to be sentenced for child sex crimes to which he had already pleaded guilty, according to authorities.
Matt Elza Hipke — a 62-year-old from Longview, Texas — was arrested in August 2020.
‘It’s with us every day, from extensive counseling to anxiety. It’s a continual process.’
Hipke was accused of committing several child sex abuse crimes against child patients. According to WLTX-TV, Hipke was indicted in 2022 on three counts of continuous sexual abuse of a child younger than 14, aggravated sexual assault of a child, and indecency with a child.
On March 31, Hipke pleaded guilty to aggravated sexual assault of a child before 188th District Court Judge Scott Novy, according to court records.
On Tuesday, deputies with the Gregg County Sheriff’s Office found Hipke dead in his home just three days before he was to be sentenced for his shocking sex crimes against children.
Gregg County Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy Craig Harrington said in a statement, “Upon arrival, the sheriff’s office identified the deceased as Hipke.”
Police did not indicate a cause of death, but the sheriff’s office noted that there was no danger to the public. Police said the investigation is ongoing, and no further information would be released.
Officials plan to conduct an autopsy on Hipke to determine his cause of death.
Jail records show that Hipke had been out of the Gregg County Jail since June 9, 2022.
Police said Hipke’s former child patients were his victims.
KETK-TV reported that two of Hipke’s former patients — both boys under 17 years old — accused him of sexual assault.
According to the Longview News-Journal, “Charges against him alleged a pattern of sexual abuse in which police said he fondled the genitals of child patients on multiple occasions between 2018 and 2020.”
Hipke’s practice — Adolescent Care Team — reportedly has closed since the damning allegations of child sex abuse surfaced. The Texas Medical Board also suspended Hipke’s medical license.
Heather Jolicoeur — the mother of one of the children Hipke abused — told KXTV, “It’s with us every day, from extensive counseling to anxiety. It’s a continual process.”
The distraught mother added, “You know you took something else from me — not being able to face him and tell him exactly how he has hurt us, because those are wounds that don’t go away. Won’t ever go away.”
Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!
Read the full article here
