More women accuse 'Christian chiropractor' of sexually assaulting them during appointments
More criminal charges have been filed against an Indiana chiropractor who reportedly presented himself as a "Christian chiropractor" in order to make his female victims feel more comfortable and at ease before he sexually assaulted them.
AVON, Ind. (WXIN) — More criminal charges have been filed against an Indiana chiropractor who is accused of presenting himself as a "Christian chiropractor" to make his female victims feel more comfortable and at ease before allegedly sexually assaulting them.
Roc Byrd, 61, of Danville, was charged on Tuesday with four new counts of sexual battery, a Level 6 felony, along with a misdemeanor count of battery. These are but the latest charges filed against Byrd as more of the chiropractor's victims continue to come forward.
In total, Byrd now faces:
- One count of rape, a Level 3 felony
- Five counts of sexual battery, a Level 6 felony
- Four counts of battery, a misdemeanor
In September, Byrd was arrested and charged with rape. The alleged crime occurred in November 2022 with Byrd accused of inserting a finger inside a patient without her consent.
"I thought that was what you wanted," he reportedly told the shocked victim.
After his arrest, more former patients came forward and accused Byrd of touching them inappropriately during appointments. Victims said Byrd would pull their pants down without permission and touch them inappropriately. He also reportedly would press his genitals against them.
“It was so gradual… I feel so stupid now," one victim said.
Byrd was charged in October for those crimes, and police said even more women came forward after seeing media reports about the allegations made against Byrd.
In total, eight former patients have accused him of sexually assaulting them at Cornerstone Chiropractic in Avon, Indiana.
Court documents reveal that several of these victims told investigators that they grappled for long periods over Byrd's alleged violation of their bodies. Some of the women said they had trusted Byrd since he presented himself as "a Christian Chiropractor" who even prayed with patients before sessions.
"He was a Christian, or so he said, we talked about it," one victim said. "Doesn't compute, right?"
According to court documents, Byrd is accused of touching the victims inappropriately both over and under their clothes. Some victims said Byrd touched their genitals without their consent. Some also accused the chiropractor of rubbing his own privates against them during the chiropractic appointments.
"It was like he was thrusting," one victim said. "It was more... than just a brush... it happened again and again."
One victim said she was too afraid to say anything, knowing Byrd from church circles and knowing he was "prominent in the church."
"I didn't even think it was a crime... I was afraid," said the victim, who came forward after seeing news articles about Byrd being charged.
According to court documents, Byrd assaulted some of his victims after learning that police were looking into him. An investigator noted that Byrd was first contacted by police in November 2022 after the first allegations came to light.
Some of the victims who recently came forward said Byrd assaulted them in early 2023, months after Byrd was made aware of the police investigation.
"Roc Byrd did not fear these allegations enough to stop assaulting his patients," an investigator concluded when filing for the new charges.
In addition to his criminal charges, Byrd and Cornerstone Chiropractic are being sued by one of his alleged victims.
Byrd has been out on bond since posting bail in October 2023. He has a pretrial conference set for April 25.
A jury trial was originally scheduled for April 2 but has since been canceled. A new date has yet to be scheduled.