Louisville doctor charged in confrontation over social distancing pleads guilty to assault
The Louisville doctor who was charged in April following a confrontation with a group of young people over social distancing will avoid jail time after pleading guilty Tuesday to fourth-degree assault.
John Rademaker, a local physician, was arrested in early April, days after a video showing the doctor and a woman confronting several young adults at the Norton Commons amphitheater. Rademaker was shown choking an 18-year-old woman at one point in the clip, which went viral after being released on several social media outlets.
Rademaker was initially charged with first-degree strangulation, a felony, and three counts of harassment with physical contact. The harassment charges were dismissed as part of his October plea, while the strangulation charge was amended down to fourth-degree assault resulting in minor injury.
Rademaker was given a conditional sentence of one year in jail, which he will not serve if he does not subsequently break the law, as well as anger control treatment.
Requests for comment sent Tuesday morning to Christopher Klein, an attorney listed as having represented Rademaker in the case, were not returned. Court records show Rademaker entered an Alford plea, a guilty plea in which the defendant does not admit guilt but recognizes evidence admitted by prosecutors would likely result in a guilty verdict.
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Three people shown on the video who spoke with The Courier Journal in April said the confrontation started as Rademaker and the woman he was with aggressively approached the group at the outdoor amphitheater, accusing those in the crowd of violating social distancing guidelines designed to slow the spread of the coronavirus.
At one point in the video, Rademaker is shown putting his hands around an 18-year-old woman's neck. That woman was examined at the scene by medical personnel, she told The Courier Journal, but did not require additional treatment.
Rademaker had worked at the time as a physician for Southern Indiana Anesthesia Consultants in New Albany — he was suspended after the video went viral and later resigned from his position, the company said in April.
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Lucas Aulbach can be reached at laulbach@courier-journal.com, 502-582-4649 or on Twitter @LucasAulbach.