BEAUMONT, Texas — A Beaumont doctor has pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting a patient in 2018 against the wishes of the victim who wanted him to stand trial.
Dr. Michael Wesley Holmes, 72, of Beaumont, entered a guilty plea Wednesday in 252nd District Court before Judge Raquel West.
It was noted during court that the victim wanted Holmes to stand trial on the sexual assault charge, which is a second-degree felony.
Once a pre-sentencing report has been done Judge West will decide if she will accept his plea, which is part of a deal that will keep him from serving prison time. Had he gone to trial, Holmes faced up to 20 years behind bars.
As part of the plea deal, if Judge West approves it, he will receive five years deferred adjudication probation, a $2,500 fine and he will have to register as a sex offender.
It's possible that Holmes will have to spend some time in jail as part of his probation and he could be required to pay some restitution.
Dr. Holmes was accused of locking the door to an exam room and telling a patient to raise her shirt while on the exam table.
The victim said for about eight minutes, Holmes touched her private areas without consent. She said the doctor also put his mouth on her body.
According to prosecutors, the patient said she tried to leave the exam table after she told Holmes she was uncomfortable. The doctor pushed her back down and continued to assault her, according to the affidavit.
The victim went back to Medical Plus to get paperwork on the next day, October 17, 2018, where she was advised by the staff to see Holmes in person.
When she saw the doctor in the exam room, Holmes allegedly sexually assaulted the woman again.
The victim tells 12News the conditions of his plea deal are no more than a slap on the wrist.
"I kept telling her, 'no, I want to go to trial.' 'You don't wanna do that. They're going to embarrass you.' I said if they embarrass me I've been embarrassed enough already. I'm embarrassed every day I walk out the door knowing the fact that I got violated by somebody that I was supposed to have trusted," the victim said.
In March 2021 Holmes was indicted by a Jefferson County grand jury and then the Texas Medical Board temporarily suspended his medical license.
The Texas Medical Association told 12News in 2021 that it is "reasonable and prudent for physicians to include a chaperone in the room for an intimate examination and, in some cases, it is recommended by health care risk managers."
The association also notes that it is appropriate for a patient to request a chaperone be present during such an exam.
State law says the board can revoke a doctor's license after they've been convicted of a felony.
But for his victim, it's not enough.
"Yes you need to face what you did. I'm in jail and in prison every day in my mind and in my heart. I barely even get to enjoy my children like I used to. I'm fighting other things within myself every day just to function and keep going because I can't believe I came to a place that I was violated in," she said.
While hurt, broken and uncertain, the victim says she is wholeheartedly determined to have her voice heard in court, where she hopes that any other possible victims of Dr. Holmes will come forward and tell their stories.
"My heart is broken. You didn't just destroy me, you destroyed other women," she said. "Justice must be served, because you dragged me for five years, and you knew the truth. So, I can't feel sorry for you now, but i do forgive you because i must move on."
12News reached out to lawyers representing both parties. They declined to comment on the ongoing case until a later date.