Canfield doctor indicted on rape charge

July 12, 2019 at 12:05a.m.

Aiad-Toss accused of going to hotel to meet girl for sex

ASHLAND

A former St. Elizabeth Boardman Hospital doctor met a 12-year-old Ashland County girl for sex through an online “network of young teens,” according to prosecutors.

The Ashland County grand jury on Thursday indicted Dr. Albert S. Aiad-Toss, 51, of Montereale Drive, Canfield, on a first-degree felony count of rape, according to a statement from Prosecutor Chris Tunnell.

“For the last several weeks, we’ve been uncovering evidence that indicates this doctor traveled to a hotel in Ashland County to engage in sex with a 12-year-old girl local to the Ashland area,” said Tunnell. “We have significant evidence that shows the arrangements being made, and we have witnesses who will testify about what happened.”

Aiad-Toss had intercourse with the girl sometime between May 25 and June 8, according to the indictment. Prosecutors said he met the girl “via a network of young teens he corresponded with on the internet,” and he traveled to Ashland County on at least one occasion.

Aiad-Toss was arrested on a state warrant for the charge Friday at a south Florida airport after returning from a trip to Peru, according to prosecutors.

He has not waived his extradition hearing, said his attorney, Ian Friedman of Cleveland, and will return to court for that hearing Aug. 1.

Friedman said Aiad-Toss plans to plead not guilty to the charge. He declined to discuss the conduct alleged by prosecutors.

“All questions as to the legitimacy of the claim will be answered by a jury in the courtroom,” Friedman said. “Just like all citizens, Dr. Aiad-Toss is presumed by law to be innocent.”

Aiad-Toss remains in the Broward County, Fla., jail without bond. If convicted, he could face life in prison, prosecutors said.

Aiad-Toss is a U.S. citizen who graduated in 1990 from Ain Shams University Faculty of Medicine in Egypt, prosecutors said.

He has worked as an internist and emergency room doctor at St. Elizabeth Boardman Hospital, but is no longer scheduled to work at that hospital, according to Mercy Health spokesman Jonathan Fauvie. He added that Aiad-Toss is not a Mercy Health employee, rather an employee of Alteon Health, which operates an office in Hudson and oversees hiring and staffing for that hospital.

Representatives from Alteon Health have not responded to requests to comment.

Ashland County authorities worked with the FBI, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Ohio, Ashland Police Department, Ashland County Sheriff’s Office, as well as other federal agencies on what Tunnell called a “complex” investigation.

“It’s always heartbreaking to see a child being sexually abused, but it’s particularly heinous when it’s at the hands of a doctor who took an oath to protect the vulnerable,” Tunnell said. “The facts of this case are especially heinous and disturbing, and I’ll commit all the resources necessary to ensure that justice is done.”

Anyone with information about Aiad-Toss that could help the investigation is urged to call Tunnell’s office at 419-289-8857.