Podiatrist Accused of Sexually Abusing Homeless Woman
- Dignity 4Patients
- Aug 28
- 2 min read
By Seth Austin- 28/08/2025- WOW KTV- [Sheldon Simon]- [Kentucky, US]
A podiatrist has been accused of sexually abusing a homeless patient whom he paid to help clean his office.
According to Owensboro Police, a woman reported in June of last year that she went to an appointment with Dr. Sheldon Simon, 81, due to complications with her feet that required surgery. During her initial visit with Dr. Simon, the woman told authorities, he was allegedly “very flirtatious,” and he asked about someone cleaning his office for him.
Police say the woman told Dr. Simon she was homeless and she could use the money, and the two reportedly agreed to have her clean the office.
According to authorities, the woman said that while she was cleaning one of the patient exam rooms, Simon asked her to help relieve a kink in his back with a massage. She reported to authorities that during the massage, Simon pulled his pants down and forced her to grab his genitals.
In an interview, the woman told detectives that Simon only paid $40 of the $100 he had agreed to pay for her to clean the office, and she had tried to confront him about the rest of the payment later that week. After confronting him at the office, she told authorities he gave her another $20.
During an interview with authorities, Dr. Simon said he did not remember any physical contact with the woman, but did confirm he paid her $40 to clean the office, and gave her an additional $20 later in the week. He also said he was not aware of any other allegations against him; however, Owensboro Police noted that in 2019, a patient had accused him of trying to force her to kiss him, but there was no indication whether charges were pursued or if Dr. Simon was ever interviewed about the incident.
Another woman told authorities that she had been a patient of Dr. Simon’s in 2022 due to issues with her foot. During her time as a patient, she said Sheldon kept trying to have her come to his office after hours, and constantly rubbed his hands up her leg to her knee, making her feel uncomfortable. She also said she heard multiple people talking about how Dr. Simon made them feel uneasy.
Simon was indicted by a Daviess County Grand Jury on a felony charge of sexual abuse. The court set his bond at $5,000 cash, which was posted by Simon. A pretrial conference is scheduled to take place on November 3.
If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this article and were abused in state run medical and health facilities, you can contact Dignity4Patients, whose helpline is open Monday to Thursday, 10am to 4pm.
