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Former USF psychiatrist charged after he is sued

By CANDACE RONDEAUX
Published December 1, 2005

TAMPA - The Hillsborough State Attorney has lodged a formal criminal charge against a prominent former University of South Florida psychiatrist accused of molesting a female patient.

Dr. Anthony T. Reading was charged with one count of misdemeanor battery nearly two years after three of his female patients filed sexual misconduct complaints with Tampa police, alleging he had sexually molested them.

Prosecutors filed the charge on Nov. 23, but Reading, 72, was notified of the complaint Wednesday, said Pam Bondi, a spokeswoman for the Hillsborough State Attorney's Office.

Reading, who now works at the Bay Behavioral Health Center in Panama City, could not be reached at his office Wednesday.

News of the charges against Reading comes six weeks after his former patient, Gail Blanco, filed a lawsuit against the former chairman of USF's psychiatry department, accusing him of making sexual advances during her treatment.

Blanco, 36, claimed that Reading fondled her breasts and forced her to touch his genitals under the guise of psychiatric care.

She alleged that the university was negligent when it allowed him to keep working, despite a sexual misconduct complaint filed with Tampa police by another patient. The university's Board of Trustees has also been named a party in the legal claim.

Scant details about the incident that led to the charge against Reading were available Wednesday. But the State Attorney's Office named Blanco as the victim of a battery on Dec. 9, 2003.

A call to Blanco's home was not returned Wednesday evening.

Reading retired from his post at USF in late December. Several months later, Florida Health Department officials put his license on emergency restriction and barred him from working with female patients.

Health Department officials did not return phone calls on Reading's status.

[Last modified December 1, 2005, 01:06:06]