55-year-old Newport Beach Dr. David Lee Haller — who was charged with two misdemeanor counts of child annoyance in September — was sentenced to 180 days in jail and one year of probation for sending high school cheerleaders sexual messages over social media.
Haller took to Instagram and Snapchat to privately reach out to multiple cheerleaders performing at Newport Harbor High School football games. Court records indicate that Haller had access through volunteering his medical services at various school events in 2017.
“This is about as serious as it gets, so far as misdemeanors, in terms of the impact it has had on the victims,” Orange County Superior Court Judge M. Marc Kelly said.
Haller was sentenced on Oct. 14. Following his release, he will be on probation for a year and will be listed as a registered sex offender for 10 years. Six months will be added to his sentence if he contacts his victims or violates the terms of his probation.
The cheerleaders referred to in court only as Mary and Katie T., were 15 years old when Haller began harassing them. Both said they are still battling with post-traumatic stress, paranoia, depression, anxiety and other mental health-related issues since then.
“I constantly fear that someone is watching over me … I was, and still am, always looking over my shoulder,” Mary said in comments reported by the LA Times.
Mary received the first message through Instagram on Aug. 30, 2017, according to a trial brief prepared by Deputy District Attorney David McMurrin. Impersonating a 14-year-old girl from Ensign Middle School, Haller asked her whether she had been “wearing pink spanx yesterday” and if boys ever tried to look up the skirts.
After being blocked on Instagram, Haller pursued Mary on Snapchat from a miaperv account where he asked about uniforms again, this time offering to donate money to compensate her for what she did, Haller said.
Haller then contacted Katie through Snapchat describing exactly what she had been doing and where she had been standing among the squad.
He allegedly followed one of the girls to a cheer competition in Florida where he sent her another sexual message in 2019, according to KCAL. Prosecutors were unable to prove this.
Haller has continued practicing medicine throughout his trials, but his conviction will be formally reported to the California Medical Board and his medical license will be revoked, his attorney Peter Iocona said.
According to the LA Times, Haller’s attorneys first attempted to avoid trial altogether by putting him into a mental health diversion program. Later, they argued to lighten the sentence, pointing out that prior to his arrest, Haller kept a clean record and since his arrest, commenced therapy to overcome his urges.
However, Judge Kelly remarked on the attendance of Haller’s ex-wife at the trial, noting it as evidence of being a “good father” and a “loving husband.”
Haller apologized to the court — he said, “Unfortunately, I cannot talk directly to you, so I can only ask God and my family to forgive me … I can promise you that you will never hear from me again.”
Juliette Fesas is a City News Intern for the fall 2022 quarter. She can be reached at jfesas@uci.edu.