Doctor remains in custody after hearing

By JIM TALBERT

TAZEWELL – A Richlands doctor remains in custody on a rape charge following a lengthy hearing on Sept. 12.
General District Judge Jack S. Hurley Jr., however, did not deny bond for Dr. Roy Gomez. He gave the commonwealth until Tuesday to produce DNA evidence. Gomez, 65, a pediatrician and general practitioner was arrested Sept. 10 after a 27-year-old Tazewell woman complained to the Richlands Police Department that Gomez raped her in his home in the Hidden Valley community.
Gomez retained attorneys Tom Scott of Grundy and Shea Cook of Richlands to defend him in the case that carries a potential life sentence if he is convicted. Virginia law carries a presumption against bond in cases such as rape.  That prompted Scott and Cook to ask for a bond hearing for Gomez.
Scott told the court that they had to prove the defendant was not a flight risk or a danger to the community in order for Hurley to consider bond. He presented testimony from Bob Nassiff, a retired Richlands businessman, restaurant owner Barbara Blackwell and Wanda Spivey, Gomez’s office manager. All told the court they knew Gomez to be an honest man and knew of no trouble he had ever been in. Nassiff described the defendant as “meek and humble” and said he was faithful to attend church.
Under cross-examination all of them said they had limited social contact with Gomez and knew little of his personal life. Spivey said she had heard “gossip” about Gomez sexually harassing employees and patients but knew of no formal complaints.
Richlands Police Chief W.A. Puckett testified that his department had received numerous complaints of sexual misconduct against Gomez but admitted no charges had been brought before.
Puckett said the drug task force had been investigating Gomez as far back as 1996. Hurley decided to wait on the DNA after Commonwealth’s Attorney Dennis Lee entered a statement Gomez made to the magistrate when he was arrested.
Lee told the court Gomez said he “did not rape her and did not have contact with her. He said the commonwealth had a large amount of physical evidence and it had been sent to the lab.
Hurley said he would take that statement to mean Gomez did not have sex with the woman whether it was willingly or otherwise. He told Lee and Puckett to get in contact with the state lab and get the results.
He instructed them to fax the results to him and Scott and then there would be a conference call to decide the issue of bond.