MISSOULA — A doctor accused of sexually assaulting several victims at a Missoula hospital has pleaded not guilty to sexual assault charges in his first court appearance on Friday.
The Missoula County Attorney’s Office filed charges against Dr. Tyler James Hurst after several patients said they were sexually assaulted by Dr. Hurst in Community Medical Center’s emergency room in 2023.
Court documents released statements from five Jane Doe’s.
Another person came forward during Friday’s hearing to say she was sexually assaulted by Dr. Hurst. Prosecutors say a total of nine people are accusing Dr. Hurst of assaulting them.
Dr. Hurst attended his initial court appearance virtually from a sex addiction treatment facility in Mississippi.
Dr. Hurst is facing several charges, including felony sexual intercourse without consent, two misdemeanor counts of sexual assault, and one felony count of sexual assault.
He is currently being treated at a sexual addiction facility in Mississippi.
Judge Shane Vannatta issued an arrest and release order for Dr. Hurst. Dr. Hurst has seven days to turn himself in to local authorities in Mississippi.
The judge ruled that Dr. Hurst would not be required to return to Montana to be booked on charges.
During the hearing, the state requested that Dr. Hurst be required to return to Montana for his initial booking and buccal swab for DNA, which the judge overruled.
Judge Vannatta ruled that Dr. Hurst cannot practice medicine and cannot perform examinations that require physical touch.
Dr. Hurst has been ordered to surrender his passport and to have no contact with the victims or witnesses in the case.
According to court documents, Dr. Hurst accessed the medical records and got the address of one of the victims and she stated that she is “terrified that” Hurst may find her.
A third party witness — identified as a local physician — alleges “that a confidential Doe had confided that the Defendant had threatened her with harm to keep her from coming forward about the allegations.”
Prosecutors say Dr. Hurst’s assaults became “more and more brazen and violent as time went on” which they say shows Hurst is “incapable of controlling his impulses without significant treatment intervention.”
If Dr. Hurst returns to Montana, he must notify the state and he will be placed under GPS monitoring.
Dr. Hurst was employed by a local physician’s group that contracted with CMC, which has terminated his clinical privileges.
Dr. Hurst is scheduled to next appear in Missoula District Count on June 6, 2024.
- information from Mark Thorsell and Kathryn Roley included in this report
