Former CDC director arrested on sex abuse charge

NEW YORK — Thomas Frieden, a former director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, has been arrested in New York on a sex abuse charge. Frieden was arrested Friday morning in Brooklyn, the New York Police Department said.

Frieden, who also is a former New York City health commissioner, surrendered to face charges that he grabbed the buttocks of a woman he knew in his home last October. WABC reports she reported the incident in July. Frieden is charged with forcible touching, sex abuse and harassment.

Frieden leads a global health initiative called Resolve to Save Lives. An email sent to a representative for Frieden there hasn’t received a reply. There’s no information on an attorney who could comment on Frieden’s behalf.