Published: 2011-09-30 13:55:21
Author: Tomoya Shimura | Victorville Daily Press | September 29, 2011
An Apple Valley chiropractor convicted of sexually assaulting female patients at his Indio office while pretending to diagnose them is facing up to 12 years in prison.
Riverside County prosecutors said Stuart Alden Greenwood, 61, molested seven victims who came to him complaining of back and neck pain, according to court documents. Greenwood allegedly told the women their pain was being caused by yeast infections or bladder, stomach and kidney ailments, and so he conducted invasive examinations.
The incidents allegedly took place between 2006 and 2008, according to his arrest warrant. Greenwood was arrested at his Indio office in February 2009.
The defendant claimed he was a holistic chiropractor and the touching was part of his approach to healing, according to a trial brief.
He was convicted June 9 of three felony counts of sexual penetration by fraud, three felony counts of sexual battery under unlawful restraint and three misdemeanor counts of sexual battery in Palm Springs Superior Court. His sentencing was postponed last week, and the new date has yet to be determined.
According to the California Board of Chiropractic Examiners, Greenwood’s chiropractic license is still valid. There was an accusation filed against him in February 2009 but no action has been taken.