A local podiatrist was indicted earlier this month on a sexual abuse charge regarding an incident that is alleged to have occurred at his office last year, according to the Owensboro Police Department.
OPD records show that Dr. Sheldon Simon, 81, whose office is located at 1915 West Parrish Avenue, was indicted by a Daviess County Grand Jury on August 5, 2025. An indictment warrant was served on Simon on August 12.
According to OPD, the investigation began on June 10, 2024, when a woman reported to the department that she had been sexually abused by Simon on June 2, 2024. The woman advised that she had begun seeing Sheldon as a new foot doctor, and that he was flirting with her in the exam room.
The woman advised officers that Sheldon asked if she knew anyone who could help clean his office, and she told him that she was homeless and could use the cash, so she offered to help, the report shows.
According to OPD, the woman said she had no means of transportation, so she and Sheldon exchanged numbers and arranged for him to pick her up at the Walmart on KY 54. She reported that while she was working at his office on June 2, Simon asked her to massage a kink out of his back. The woman reported that Sheldon took off his shirt and then slid his pants off before forcing her to perform a sexual act on him without her consent.
The report says that after the alleged incident, the woman continued cleaning the office and was given $40 by Sheldon before she left for the day.
Detectives with OPD’s Criminal Investigations Division conducted follow-up interviews with both the woman and Simon, according to the report.
Documents show that on June 19, 2024, the woman returned to the police station for her follow-up interview, during which she provided additional details about the alleged incident, such as telling the investigator that Sheldon advised he would pay her $100 to clean the office.
The woman also said one of Sheldon’s employees came to the office and worked for an extended period on his computer. She alleges that Sheldon “told her to be quiet and tried to hide her not knowing the male employee had already seen her there,” the report shows.
According to the report, the woman advised that Sheldon said he’d pay her the rest of the money when she returned to his office for an appointment on June 5. She said that the appointment was rescheduled, so she went to his office to confront him. The woman reported that Sheldon gave her another $20 that day.
On June 20, 2024, the OPD investigator obtained CCTV footage from the Walmart on KY 54. The report says the footage confirmed the woman’s account of the events regarding Sheldon picking her up.
The report shows that Simon also went to OPD for an interview on June 20. It shows that Simon “confirmed she was the homeless patient that he treated that cleaned his office for him.” He admitted to picking her up, and he claimed they agreed on a payment of $40 for a couple of hours of cleaning. He told the investigator he later gave her an additional $20. He also acknowledged that an employee stopped into the office to work on the day of the alleged incident.
When asked if there was ever any physical contact between him and the woman, Sheldon stated “he does not remember anything like that,” according to the report. Sheldon told the investigator that his business did not have any cameras.
According to the 2024 report, the investigator located a 2019 OPD report “where a patient accused Dr. Sheldon of trying to force her to kiss him.” According to the 2024 report, no charges were pursued for that alleged 2019 incident.
Also on June 20, 2024, the investigator contacted another woman after learning she may have information about Sheldon. This woman advised she had been a patient approximately 2 years prior, and that Sheldon “acted very strange making her feel uncomfortable, was very touchy feely with her, and always tried to get her to come to his office after hours.” The report says she told the investigator Sheldon “was always trying to get her to hug him and constantly rub his hands up her leg to her knee, which she had to push his hand away and remind him she was there for her feet,” and that “she had heard multiple people talk about Dr. Sheldon making them feel uneasy.”
The report shows that Simon later submitted to a polygraph examination in July 2024, and the woman involved in the alleged June 2 incident completed a polygraph in September 2024. The results of the polygraphs were not detailed in the OPD report.
The investigation concluded in August 2025 with the grand jury indictment. Court records show Simon was charged with one count of first-degree sexual abuse. According to an OPD official, the indictment warrant was served at the judicial center. Records show Simon posted a $5,000 cash bond on August 12, the day the indictment was served. He was arraigned on August 25 and will appear again on November 3, according to court records.
Owensboro Times was unable to reach Simon’s attorney for comment.
