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OC Doctor Accused Of Sending Sexual Messages To Cheerleaders

NEWPORT BEACH (CBSLA) — An Orange County doctor is accused of sexually harassing high school cheerleaders on social media.

As CBSLA's Michele Gile reports, the physician who volunteered to work at Newport Harbor High School sporting events last year has been charged with sending sexual messages to the school's cheerleaders.

David Lee Haller, 51, of Newport Beach, was charged Monday with two misdemeanor counts of child annoyance, according to the Orange County District Attorney's Office. He is scheduled to be arraigned June 26.

Haller has been put on leave by his employer Kaiser Permanente.

Kaiser put out a statement saying that "while we understand the alleged inappropriate relations occurred outside of his assigned duties and outside of Kaiser Permanente's facilities,
we take any such allegation seriously. Dr. Haller is currently on leave.''

Haller volunteered as a doctor at several sporting events at the high school from October to December, prosecutors said. He has also served as a doctor and volunteer with the UC Irvine Spirit Squad cheerleading team.

Haller is accused of sending a "sexually motivated and inappropriate manner'' message Aug. 30 to a Newport Harbor High School cheerleader on Instagram, prosecutors alleged. Another cheerleader allegedly received a similar message Oct. 27 through the Snapchat application, prosecutors said.

Haller's attorney, Peter Iocona, declined to comment.

(© Copyright 2018 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. City News Service contributed to this report.)

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