ST. GEORGE, Utah, Aug. 23, 2019 (Gephardt Daily) — A St. George chiropractor has been charged on suspicion of 20 second-degree felonies, all related to alleged abuse of female patients.
Brent Noorda, 39, has been charged with identical counts of forcible sexual abuse.
A probable cause statement says an officer of the St. George Police Department began investigating on July 31 after complaints from some of Noorda’s patients at Balanced Healthcare.
“Several females had come forward disclosing incidents of sexual misconduct conducted by Brent,” the statement says.
“Brent was a NUCCA chiropractor and was the only NUCCA office in the greater St. George area for a long time,” the statement says.
NUCCA stands for National Upper Cervical Chiropractic Association.
“The victims had reported his misconduct to DOPL for investigation, but later learned his actions could be criminal and reported it to law enforcement.”
One witness said she began working for Noorda, and when she reported numbers to him at the end of the day, he would touch her inappropriately.
“Brent would be sitting down, she was standing next to him and he would slide his hand up the back of her skirt,” the statement says. “He would go up to her hip, down her butt, and about half the time he would say he was sorry, he was just a little touchy. (The woman) estimated it happened around a dozen times, until (she) refused to go over numbers with him anymore.”
That employee also saw Noorda for head and neck adjustments, and Noorda began doing skin-on-skin massages to her breasts, she told the investigating officer.
“During the massages, Brent would comment on how he was just loosening the muscle. He would comment on how her breasts were perfect.”
The woman said the comments made her uncomfortable, as did his hugs, during which Noorda would push his pelvic region against hers.
In subsequent appointments with different NUCCA doctors, none treated her by touching her breasts, the woman said.
Another woman said following spine massages, Noorda also manipulated her genital area. When questioned, Noorda told the woman “it was within his care,” the statement says. Noorda also stared at the woman’s breasts, saying they were beautiful and asking about their sensitivity level, the statement says. The woman wished to find another doctor, but Noorda was the only NUCCA in the area, she told the officer.
A third witness reported that Noorda would reach under her bra and would question her about her sex life.
One woman asked Noorda about migraines, she said, and he suggested he do a vaginal exam.
Interviewed by police, Noorda initially denied commenting on patients’ breasts, the probable cause statement says.
“Later in the interview, Brent admitted to conducting exams that he initially stated were outside the scope of his normal practices. He admitted to some of the details that the females presented during their initial interviews.”
Noorda’s bail was set at $500,000. According to reports, he told police he would not see patients until the case was resolved.
