X-ray technician sentenced to 120 days in jail, sex offender registration after battery

SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY, Calif. (KEYT) – A San Luis Obispo jury found a 47-year-old X-ray technician guilty of sexual battery against a patient from an incident on May 15, 2024, according to the county DA's office.

The SLOCDAO found John Stephen O'Brien guilty after he unlawfully touched a woman against her will during an examination.

The victim immediately reported the incident to the medical office and law enforcement the day of the battery, according to the SLOCDAO.

Police later interviewed O'Brien the day of the battery when he admitted that he grabbed the woman's breasts, though he claimed she came onto him, according to the SLOCDAO.

A jury later rejected O'Brien's claims that the victim's body movement and positioning invited the unwanted touching, according to the SLOCDAO.

The jury also heard claims from another victim testified very similar unwanted touching of her body during an X-Ray in 2016, according to the SLOCDAO.

O'Brien now faces a sentence of 120 days in jail, registration as a sex offender for a minimum of 10 years, one year of formal probation and no contact with the victim.