Van Nuys Doctor, 65, Charged With Rape of Patient

A 65-year-old Van Nuys family doctor was charged Thursday with raping a woman who went to him for treatment of a hand injury, police said.

Dr. Abraham Alfred Mekelburg, who told police he had practiced at the same office on Sepulveda Boulevard for nearly 40 years, was released on $10,000 bail on one count of rape.

Arraignment in Van Nuys Municipal Court was set for April 21.

Mekelburg did not return a telephone call but police said he has denied the charge.

The physician is accused of raping a 40-year-old woman on March 11 after telling her to arrive at his office after 4:30 p.m., said Deputy Dist. Atty. Deborah S. Elliot.

Elliot said the woman, a native of El Salvador who had been treated previously by Mekelburg, found the office deserted except for the doctor when she arrived.

The doctor placed her on a gynecological examining table and raped her, Elliot said.

The prosecutor said the woman went immediately to Olive View Mid-Valley Hospital, where doctors found evidence of rape.

If convicted, Mekelburg faces up to eight years in prison.