Orem chiropractor convicted of touching female patients inappropriately

Dale Harland Heath. Photo; Utah County

OREM, Utah, Sept. 23, 2017 (Gephardt Daily) — An Orem chiropractor has been found guilty of several charges related to touching of female patients inappropriately.

Dale Harland Heath, 58, was taken into custody Thursday after he was found guilty in Fourth District Court of:

• One count of object rape, a first-degree felony

• One count of forcible sexual abuse, a second-degree felony

• Three counts of sexual battery, Class-A misdemeanors

Allegations against Heath were first reported in 2011, then again in 2013, according to a probable cause statement. Heath denied the allegations, but said he might have made “incidental” contact with women’s groin areas during treatment, which could have made them uncomfortable.

Police and advisers from the Department of Professional Licensing (DOPL) spoke to Heath about safe practices, the statement said. He agreed to have a chaperone in the room when treating female patients.

The probable cause statement also said Health told police that in the future, when he was ” … performing any type of treatment near the vagina or breast area of a female patient, he shall first verbally explain the procedure to the patient, then receive consent from the patient, then have the female patient cover the sensitive areas with their hands (if it is appropriate and possible to do so during the treatment). The respondent shall then explain the procedure to the chaperone in the room.”

In 2015, a third patient contacted police to report Heath had massaged parts of her groin area in a fashion that was inappropriate. The first time it happened, she assumed it could have been part of the treatment, but when it happened at another visit, she left and contacted police, the probable cause statement says.

Police interviewed Heath, ” … who denied touching Victim 3 inappropriately
and claimed to have never treated a female without a chaperone present since his DOPL
order,” the probable cause statement says.

“Police interviewed the chaperones, who admitted to signing patient logs representing that they had been present for treatments of females when they had not been present for such visits. They signed and the defendant’s request and the defendant submitted the forms to DOPL,” the statement says.

“Furthermore, the chaperones (all females) disclosed that they had been treated by the defendant without a chaperone present.”

Heath’s sentencing is scheduled for Nov. 21.

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