Detectives want anyone who ever had a bizarre, uncomfortable or disconcerting experience with longtime Vero Beach physician Dr. Christopher Olenek to tell them their story.
Despite the bravado of the sheriff’s press conference announcing Olenek’s Nov. 13 arrest, and the release of a litany of uncharged accusations dating back 14 years, Olenek, 62, an internal medicine doctor on the mainland who lives on the island, is only facing one misdemeanor charge of simple battery as of press time.
If convicted for just that alleged act of inappropriately touching a prospective job applicant while performing a demonstration electrocardiogram, Olenek could be ordered to pay a fine of $1,000 and serve up to one year in the county jail. The other eight complaints from 2011 to 2022 fall beyond the statute of limitations, which is a year or two depending on the particulars.
Sheriff Eric Flowers explained that victims became uncooperative, were afraid of reprisal or job loss, or the alleged acts boiled down to a ‘he said, she said’ scenario since no one else was in the room to bear witness to what occurred. Exam rooms also don’t typically have surveillance cameras for privacy reasons.
Of the hundreds of doctors who practice medicine in the Vero area, allegations like those lodged against Olenek are extremely rare here, Flowers said.
In July after the latest incident, an employee did walk into the room and was able to give credence to the particulars of the victim’s complaint. The employee also told detectives Olenek had made her feel uncomfortable with unwanted sexual attention over the years, causing her to walk off the job.
“I would walk out and be like, you know, like, I’m not working for you anymore or whatever. He would offer me a lot of money to come back and work for him. So, I mean, that’s why I stayed for so long. ’cause each time I would leave, he would be like, oh, I’ll give you more money. I’ll give you a check to come back and I’ll give you a raise,” she said.
The employee told detectives, “Like everybody in Vero, (redacted) know that he is a creep.”
Detective Chad Sharpeta said that the behavior during the victim’s job-shadowing day momentarily stopped when the employee walked in, but “it continued on. While that specific victim was at the office. She stayed there for quite some time and it proceeded to go on during the time that she was there,” he said.
Sharpeta interviewed Olenek and said Olenek claimed his actions all fell well within the scope of his duties as a physician. “He did not admit, he wouldn’t take ownership of what happened. He had no idea why these women would single him out.”
The reason why Flowers wants other potential victims to come forward is that state law recognizes successive similar crimes as a more serious matter. Subsequent battery could be charged as a third-degree felony. Not only would that be punishable by up to five years in state prison, it would also make it quite tough for Olenek to keep practicing medicine in Florida.
Flowers said he’s also working with the Florida Department of Health and any other licensing or regulatory agency which might have jurisdiction over regulating physicians’ professional conduct.
As of press time, Olenek’s East Side Urgent Care, which shifted to a concierge-type practice when Olenek stopped accepting insurance, was serving patients as usual.
When Vero Beach 32963 tried to leave a message seeking comment from Olenek, the receptionist said she was instructed to tell anyone calling about the doctor’s arrest, “He does not want to make any statements at this moment. He does not want to speak to anybody.”
Olenek, 62, who trained at both Mount Sinai Medical Center and Columbia University’s Presbyterian Hospital before moving to Florida in 2009, was referred to as a “creep” by Flowers last week – the sheriff echoing the employee’s characterization.
“Essentially what we’re doing is building a pattern of behavior,” Flowers said. “That is not a one-off.”
Flowers wants victims to reach out even if the events occurred beyond the statute of limitations.
“It takes multiple acts to pull together to show what’s happening,” he said, citing the Williams Rule of criminal law that allows police to pull in evidence from separate but related crimes.
“We wish we had more. We wish we had the opportunity to make a greater charge than this. That’s why we’re reaching out in case somebody has had something way worse than this.”
There seems to be a pretty obvious pattern of behavior in the eight older complaints, but again, no case could be made previously to charge Olenek. Reading in between heavy redactions, Olenek would get the female patient or employee alone in a room for a legitimate reason and give her unwanted romantic attention. He would allegedly stare at certain body parts, comment on her looks or fitness, sometimes invite her to dinner or on a date, or discuss her relationship status and sex life, and at some point even touch her in an inappropriate way. The women often said he would brush the groping off as an accident or a joke.
The affidavit filed with the court by sheriff’s detectives details the previous complaints they turned up, and summaries of victim interviews with blocks of type blacked out. The redactions serve two purposes. First, they protect women whose complaints are too old to prosecute.
Second, it signals to any women out there who may have had a similar bad experience with Olenek that they, too, will be protected while prosecutors build a stronger case.
As of press time, the court docket showed that no attorney had filed a notice to appear as Olenek’s defense counsel.
At the conclusion of the 13-page affidavit the detectives stated, “Two additional victims of Dr. Olenek’s sexually motivated crimes have been contacted and provided similar accounts. These cases share similarities which cannot be overlooked and provide relevant material facts. These accounts show that Dr. Olenek utilizes the confidential nature of a doctor patient relationship to perpetrate his crimes. Utilizing an examination room where there are no cameras or witnesses.
“Each victim advised that sexual comments and undertones were utilized which made them feel suspicious of his care and uncomfortable. Each victim expressed that they were touched in an inappropriate manner on intimate parts of their bodies which is outside the scope of what would be called a bona fide medical purpose. Each case shows that Dr. Olenek utilizes his profession as a way to justify his inappropriate touching of his victims. Each case involves young attractive, thinly built (the word women or females is redacted). Each case shares the same motive, to fulfill Dr. Olenek’s sexual desires for the (word redacted) who come to see him for medical care. And each victim expressly identifies Dr. Olenek as the perpetrator of these crimes.”
Olenek’s arraignment is scheduled for December, where he’ll presumably plead not guilty. In the meantime, he’s been ordered not to have any contact with the victim or her place of employment.
Olenek’s receptionist said she was “not sure” whether he had an attorney.
