Additional 10 men allege sexual abuse from former Oregon Youth Authority doctor

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — An additional 10 men are alleging that they were sexually abused by a former Oregon Youth Authority doctor, according to a new lawsuit.

All 10 allege they were abused as children while in custody of the state by Dr. Gary Edwards, also known as “Dr. Cold Fingers.”

The abuse started in 2000 and continued through 2008, the suit says.
 
This comes less than two months after a separate sexual abuse lawsuit was filed against OYA, which led to the firing of director Joe O’Leary.

Edwards served as the primary medical provider at Maclaren from 1977 until at least 2008, and attorneys say he had private access to thousands of children during this time.

“This doctor was in charge of intake exams at MacLaren, which means that he had a reason to be alone with every single child that came through MacLaren during those 40+ years of service,” attorney Peter Janci said. “And at nearly 300 youth housed there at any given time, by 40 years, that means this doctor had an opportunity to abuse more than 10,000 children in Oregon custody.”