Local X-ray Technician John Stephen O’Brien Convicted of Sexual Battery of Patient

SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY, Calif. (KEYT) – John Stephen O'Brien was found guilty of misdemeanor sexual battery after touching an intimate area of a patient while he was working as an X-ray technician.

During the seven-day trial, jurors heard that on may 15, 2024, the victim had finished getting X-rays done at a local medical office when O'Brien offered to help her untie the medical gown she was wearing stated the San Luis Obispo County District Attorney's Office.

After the victim agreed, O'Brien untied the gown, touched and rubbed her back before kissing it, and pressed his erection against her back before reaching to the front of her body and grabbing her breasts twice detailed the local prosecutor's office.

The victim immediately reported the incident to O'Brien's employer as well as law enforcement the same day noted the San Luis Obispo County District Attorney's Office.

Officers interviewed O'Brien the next day and he admitted that he had grabbed the victim's breasts, but that she had first made sexual advances towards him and during the trial, he claimed that her movements and body position were an invitation to touch her in a sexual manner explained the San Luis Obispo County District Attorney's Office.

According to the San Luis Obispo County District Attorney's Office, the jury also heard from a prior victim of O'Brien's actions after obtaining an X-ray in 2016, and she reported notably similar behavior by O'Brien including unwanted touching of her private areas.

O'Brien is currently scheduled to be sentenced on Sep. 30, 2026, where he faces a maximum sentence of one year in county jail noted the San Luis Obispo County District Attorney's Office.

"Patients place extraordinary trust in medical professionals, and that trust is especially important when a patient is in a vulnerable position during treatment," San Luis Obispo County District Attorney Dan Dow stated. "This verdict holds the defendant accountable for violating that trust and for the unlawful sexual abuse of a patient who did nothing to invite this conduct."