A radiologist from Saratoga Springs, N.Y. was arraigned via Zoom Wednesday in Boston Municipal Court for allegedly photographing dozens of unsuspecting women in a lewd manner outside an Anthropologie store on Newbury Street in September.
Dr. Damon DeTeso, 49, pleaded not guilty to 21 misdemeanor counts of photographing someone’s sexual or intimate parts without consent, and 15 additional misdemeanor counts of trying to do the same, Suffolk District Attorney Kevin R. Hayden’s office said.
No cash bail was set for DeTeso, who wasn’t in custody.
“The facts alleged here are that Mr. DeTeso was sitting in front of that Anthropologie store [on Newbury] with a backpack placed next to him, with the phone sticking out of that backpack, allowing unsuspecting females to walk over that backpack, allowing that iPhone to capture images as they crossed over this bag,” said Suffolk Assistant District Attorney Daniel Nucci during the hearing.
Advertisement
Nucci said prosecutors weren’t seeking any type of cash bail owing to DeTeso’s lack of any prior criminal record, though he did request an order, ultimately granted, for DeTeso to stay away from the Anthropologie store “as well as Boston properties in general” except for lawyer meetings and future court appearances.
Boston police responded to a call from the manager of the store at 2:31 p.m. who reported DeTeso’s alleged illicit photography, Hayden’s office said in a statement. DeTeso was then located at 174 Newbury St. and taken into custody after he was identified in photographs taken by Anthropologie staff on Aug. 20 and Sept. 24, the statement said.
Prosecutors said the photos were allegedly taken in front of the store on Sept. 24.
DeTeso’s attorney, Philip A. Tracy Jr., didn’t address the allegations during the hearing.
The next hearing in the case is May 25.
DeTeso was listed Wednesday on the website for Saratoga Hospital in Saratoga Springs, as an imaging and radiology specialist based at Millennium Medical Imaging.
Advertisement
In a statement, a Saratoga Hospital spokesperson said DeTeso is “an employee of Millennium Medical Imaging, which provides services under contract to Saratoga Hospital. Dr. DeTeso has requested an indefinite leave of absence from the Saratoga Hospital medical staff. In light of today’s public allegations, Saratoga Hospital has accepted that request effective immediately and has communicated Dr. DeTeso’s status to his employer.”
Until further investigation and “satisfactory resolution” of the case, the statement said, “Dr. DeTeso will not be conducting any services related to Saratoga Hospital. The professional care and safety of our patients is of paramount importance to Saratoga Hospital. It would be premature at this point for us to comment further.”
DeTeso graduated from UMass Medical School in 1998 and did his residency at Tufts Medical Center, according to New York state online physician databases. The New York State Office of the Professions online database listed his medical license status as “registered” Wednesday.
Correspondent Madison Mercado contributed to this story.
Travis Andersen can be reached at travis.andersen@globe.com.