Former University Hospital surgeon charged with felony stalking

A former University Hospital surgeon is now charged with felony stalking.

Dr. Gregory McClain is wanted for making harassing phone calls to a former co-worker in 2015.
ABC 17 News broke the story when prosecutors charged someone in March for the crime.
Jimmy Thomas of Houston is also wanted for making numerous threats to a woman who works at University Hospital.

Dr. McClain’s lawyer expressed some frustration Friday at the way prosecutors have handled this.

Cole County Prosecutor Mark Richardson called him a “threat.” Dr. Gregory McClain was charged Friday with two counts of aggravated stalking, with a $100,000 cash only bond.

The new complaint says McClain worked with another to call two former co-workers numerous times in 2015, claiming they “wouldn’t follow directions” and that they would kill them.

MU Police say the situation started at University Hospital in 2014. The victim in this case had made a sexual harassment complaint against Dr. McClain, and in December of that year, Dr. McClain resigned. In that same month, the harassing phone calls started.

Investigators eventually traced the blocked calls to Jimmy Thomas of Houston – who admitted to ABC 17’s Lucas Geisler on March 25 he knew Dr. McClain, but denied any part in the harassing calls.

Today , McClain’s attorney Chris Slusher criticized the prosecution for requesting such a high bond. He says police linked him to the case in the summer of 2015, but questioned why prosecutors waited more than half a year to file a charge.

Requiring $100,000 cash, despite Dr. McClain’s cooperation, Slusher says, would not be just. Prosecutors are also asking that Jimmy Thomas be held without bond. The female victim in this case does have an active order of protection against McClain. ABC 17 News tried to get in touch with McClain, but his voicemail box was full.

Those aggravated stalking charges have a maximum four-year sentence.