MILTON - A 35-year-old chiropractor from Turbotville was jailed Wednesday after police say he sexually assaulted a 55-year-old woman and a pregnant 31-year-old at his Milton office Tuesday afternoon.
Dr. James Lee Carl, 1254 White Hall Road, is charged by Milton police Detective Todd Ulrich with three counts of indecent assault and one count of indecent exposure involving incidents at his office, located at 114 S. Front St.
Carl was arraigned on the misdemeanors by Magisterial District Judge Robert Bolton of Milton and committed to Northumberland County Prison, Sunbury, in lieu of $125,000 cash bail.
According to a criminal complaint, the 55-year-old patient came to the Milton Police Station at 1:23 p.m. Tuesday, visibly upset, and told police she had just been sexually assaulted by Carl during an appointment for lower back pain. During an interview with police, the victim said she was in the waiting room for about five minutes before Carl summoned her to the examination area. She said no other patients were in the waiting room and the receptionist wasn't present at the time.
An affidavit of probable cause states Carl began giving the victim heat treatment on her lower back. He then asked her to roll onto her back, at which time Carl allegedly began rubbing her neck and, eventually applied lotion to her breasts. The victim said she questioned what he was doing, and Carl told her it was a treatment for congestive heart failure.
Carl told the patient to relax and that the treatment would make her feel better. She followed the doctor's advice, closed her eyes and allowed Carl to continue the treatment. But it got worse when Carl allegedly began to rub the patient's vaginal area and exposed his penis, among other actions, at which point she told him she was very confused. She gathered her belongings and walked out without paying, according to police.
Police said the patient was transported to Evangelical Community Hospital in Lewisburg, where she was treated by a sexual assault nurse examiner.
Interviewed by police, Carl admitted treating the patient for back pain, but denied sexually assaulting her.
Second incident
At about 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Milton police were met at their station by an extremely upset 31-year-old female and her husband. The woman, who is 22 weeks pregnant, told police she had just been sexually assaulted by the chiropractor in a similar manner as the 55-year-old woman during her 5 p.m. appointment in Carl's office.
After Carl allegedly rubbed the pregnant woman's breasts with lotion, the victim said she immediately jumped up, gathered her belongings and ran out.
She told police Carl followed her out of the office and yelled something at her. The victim said she ran to her car, drove home and told her husband about the incidents.
After contacting police, the woman received treatment by a sexual assault nurse examiner at Evangelical.