EAST LANSING, Mich. — A Michigan State University medical resident charged with sexually assaulting two women at the Clinical Center forced them to watch videos of him masturbating, according to court records.
Both women said Michael Phinn, 32, used his fingers to penetrate their vaginas and groped their breasts, underneath their bras, MSU Police Detective Sam Miller testified in a hearing that led to criminal charges being filed.
He also forced them to watch videos of him masturbating as he exposed and rubbed his penis, Miller testified. When one of the women tried to get up and leave, Phinn held her down by her shoulders and continued showing her the photos and videos.
Phinn is a graduate of the MSU College of Osteopathic Medicine and was serving a post-graduate neurology residency under supervision of the college. He worked in the MSU Neurology Clinic.
Along with working on MSU's campus, Phinn also treated patients at Sparrow Hospital. He was placed on unpaid administrative leave, spokesman John Foren said last week.
Phinn does not have an attorney listed in online court records.
He was suspended from clinical duties after the allegations surfaced, university spokeswoman Emily Guerrant said. The women were not Phinn's patients at the Clinical Center, MSU Police Chief Jim Dunlap said previously.
Phinn is charged with one count of first-degree criminal sexual conduct, two counts of second-degree criminal sexual conduct, one count of assault with the intent to commit sexual contact, two counts of gross indecency and four counts of aggravated indecent exposure. He was charged Oct. 9, about a week after the women reported the assaults to police.
The first woman told police Phinn touched and penetrated her vagina with his fingers in a stairwell at the MSU Clinical Center in the fall of 2017. He also put his hands in her shirt and grabbed her breasts, underneath her bra, according to the court records.
In September, Phinn slipped his hands into her shirt onto her breasts, and down her pants near her underwear as he gave her a back massage, Miller testified.
The second woman told police that Phinn touched her breasts under her bra in late September, according to court records.
Both women said they received unwanted emails with photos of Phinn's penis and videos of him masturbating, Miller said. In one of the photos, the woman said she could see Phinn's lab coat.
Phinn graduated from MSU with a bachelor's degree in physiology in 2008 and with an osteopathic medical degree in 2016, according to an archived version of Phinn's MSU profile.
He has a valid educational medical license in osteopathic medicine and surgery in Michigan, according to the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs. He has no open complaints and has not received any disciplinary actions from LARA.
In past years, both MSU and the College of Osteopathic Medicine have been intensely criticized for its handling of sexual assault cases. Former doctor Larry Nassar, who sexually assaulted hundreds of women and girls, worked in the college for nearly two decades
The former dean of the college and Nassar's former boss, William Strampel, also is facing criminal charges. He's accused of using his position as dean to "harass, discriminate, demean, sexually proposition, and sexually assault female students." He also is charged with misdemeanor sex assault related to his actions during and after MSU's 2014 Title IX investigation that cleared Nassar.
Contact Kara Berg at 517-377-1113 or kberg@lsj.com. Follow her on Twitter @karaberg95.
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