COLUMBUS – A former Clintonville chiropractor is facing more than 30 new sexual imposition charges after additional victims came forward to accuse him of groping them during exams.
Ryan Smith, who operated the Synergy Chiropractic Wellness Clinic, was originally scheduled to be arraigned last Thursday but the hearing date was postponed until later this month as more victims came forward, according to the office of Columbus City Attorney Zach Klein.
“It was a priority for our office and for investigators to make sure we heard from all victims who wanted to come forward. These victims are not alone, and it’s important they all have a chance to shine light on this terrible abuse.” -Columbus City Attorney Zach Klein
Smith is now facing 66 counts brought by at least 47 accusers and authorities want to hear from anyone who thinks they may have been a victim.
“While the accused misconduct dates back several years, at least since 2007, the statute of limitations for misdemeanors in the State of Ohio is two years,” said deputy chief prosecutor Joseph Gibson. “However, it was very important for us to hear from all victims and have their accounts documented regardless of whether the time period fell within the two-year window.”
Smith is accused of sexually assaulting female patients during the course of their treatment visits at least as far back as 2013.
Gibson says Smith misdiagnosed patients with shoulder injuries in order to grope them.
Future felony charges against Smith would be submitted for grand jury consideration and handled by the Franklin County Prosecutor’s Office, Gibson says, while in the cases filed by the Columbus Police Division, there was ample evidence of Smith abusing his position of trust to coerce victims into submitting to the sexual imposition but there was not evidence that Smith used force in these incidents, resulting in misdemeanor charges of sexual imposition, rather than gross sexual imposition.
Smith was licensed with the Ohio Chiropractic Board in 2003 and received official warning letters for sexual misconduct from the board in 2007 and in 2015 before voluntarily surrendering his license on March 29.