Jerome Aronberg

A Clayton dermatologist who serves as a professor at the Washington University School of Medicine was charged Tuesday with sexually molesting two teenage girls.

Jerome Aronberg, assistant professor of clinical medicine in the school’s dermatology division, is charged with four counts of statutory sodomy, one in the first degree and three in the second degree.

The two victims were between 13 and 15 years of age when the alleged acts occurred. Police said the victims are not Aronberg’s patients, and none of the alleged crimes happened at Aronberg’s Clayton office.

Clayton Police Captain Kevin Murphy said the most recent acts took place a couple of months ago, but the crimes go back many years. Police are urging acquaintances and past patients to contact them if Aronberg has had any inappropriate interactions with them.

Aronberg was arrested Monday to be held in St. Louis County Jail on $1 million bond. No information was immediately available on whether he had posted bond.

Medical school spokeswoman Joni Westerhouse declined to comment on the arrest of Aronberg, who is also a University graduate.

Westerhouse said Aronberg’s position at the school is a courtesy appointment with limited duties.

Courtesy appointments, according to Westerhouse, are usually private practice physicians. They often attend school conferences and oversee residents, but the school does not pay their salaries.

“That’s the case with this,” Westerhouse said. “He has overseen residents.”

According to his Web site, zitdoctor.com, Aronberg has practiced dermatology in Clayton since 1976 at the same office, which is on the 100 block of North Meramec Avenue.

Aronberg, 65, earned his bachelor’s and medical degrees from the University in 1967 and 1971, respectively, before completing his dermatology residency at Barnes Hospital, where he was chief resident in his final year.

Police are asking people with information about Aronberg to call Clayton Police Detective Jeff Brinkley at 314-290-8417.

“This is an ongoing investigation,” Murphy said. “We’d appreciate any information anyone in the public, any person, might have that they think might be helpful to our case.”