On August 1, 2025, Dr. Francis Herrbold was sentenced to eight years in prison followed by three years of Sex Offender probation. This sentence follows an April 14, 2025 verdict by a Walton County, Florida jury finding that Dr. Francis Herrbold committed sexual battery on a woman in June 2003. Herrbold, age 54, was licensed to practice medicine in Florida since 2004. His license is currently suspended and is expected to be revoked, Dr. Herrbold worked at HCA Florida West Hospital in Pensacola prior to his arrest and was suspended amid the allegations.
According to media reports, the underlying incident occurred on June 24, 2023, during a fishing tournament at Sandestin Marina. The court testimony states that Herrbold was on the victim’s yacht with friends while the boat was docked in the marina. The group was socializing during the tournament festivities, and everyone was instructed to leave when it was over. At the end of the night, the victim went to sleep in the yacht’s main cabin. The victim’s friend locked the only door to the yacht to secure the victim alone inside for the night. The victim’s friend made sure everyone else left, but could not awaken Herrbold, who was passed out on a bench on the boat. Investigators state that Herrbold climbed along the side of the yacht and lowered himself through a hatch into the guest cabin. The victim was awoken by Herrbold sexually battering her. The Walton County Sheriff’s Office led the investigation after the victim reported the rape to the police the following day. The woman told law enforcement she kicked him off her, saying he had a girlfriend and she had a boyfriend, and Herrbold replied with “this never happened” and ” I will deny it if you say anything,” documents show. Herrbold later told the police that the sexual encounter was consensual, adding that he and the woman had been flirting throughout the day, according to the arrest report. Deputies later interviewed several witnesses on the boat who “discredited the actions as described by Herrbold.”
Who is Dr. Francis Herrbold?
Herrbold is a renowned cardiothoracic surgery specialist and is board-certified in general surgery. After graduating from the University of Florida College of Medicine in 1998, he completed his residency at the University of Florida Medical School, Cardiothoracic Surgery Residency and the Medical College of Wisconsin, General Surgery Residency. According to Herrbold’s website, he began working at the Phoebe Putney Health System in Albany, Georgia, from 2005 to 2020. He then joined HCA Florida West Hospital.
Horowitz Law has filed numerous sexual misconduct claims occurring on yachts, cruise ships, and other marine vessels. If you have been a victim of sexual assault or sexual battery on a boat of any kind, please contact our law firm at 888-283-9922 or send an e-mail to sexual abuse lawyer Adam Horowitz at adam@adamhorowitzlaw.com for a free consultation.