A Riverdale dentist has been charged with improperly touching a female patient while she was undergoing a procedure in his office.

Dr. Kenneth Neal Morris, 55, of Jonesboro had a first court appearance Thursday afternoon in Clayton County Magistrate Court. He was being held in the county jail, waiting to make a $1,500 bond on a misdemeanor charge of sexual battery.

Morris was expected to be released Thursday evening, according to his defense attorney, Steven Frey.

A 28-year-old woman told Clayton County police that she was undergoing a whitening procedure Feb. 23 at Morris' Riverdale office, and that the dentist allegedly touched her left breast while she was sedated.

Frey said his client is innocent and the alleged physical contact was consensual.

The woman met Morris when she started working for a company that provided dental services to county jails, where Morris also worked as a dentist, Frey said.

Morris was sanctioned in 1993 by the state licensing board for providing substandard dental work to a patient, according to the secretary of state's office. He was ordered to reimburse the patient $20,000 and was on probation for two years.