AVON, Ind. — An Avon chiropractor has been arrested for rape.
According to a press release from the Hendricks County Sheriff’s Office, police executed a warrant at approximately 6:30 a.m. Friday and took 52-year-old Roc Anthony Byrd of Danville into custody.
Byrd has been charged with rape when the victim is unaware of the defendant’s actions, which is a Level 3 Felony in Indiana. The charges stem from an investigation that was launched nearly a year ago.
In November, deputies responded to the 5200 block of U.S. 36 near Avon on a report of rape. HCSO officials indicated their investigation went on for months before Byrd was officially charged.
Byrd was a chiropractor at Cornerstone Chiropractic in Avon, according to the business’ website. Cornerstone Chiropractic is located at 5250 East U.S. Highway 36.
According to a probable cause affidavit filed on Thursday, the incident police initially investigated occurred inside Cornerstone Chiropractic. The victim in the case told police Byrd made inappropriate contact with them during what was supposed to be a routine adjustment.
Court documents indicate that Byrd told the victim he had not tried to instigate inappropriate relationships with any of his other patients. During their investigation of the incident, however, a second victim came forward, alleging Byrd initiated inappropriate contact with them more than 10 years ago.
Byrd and his legal team insisted the second victim’s allegations were false, per court documents. The second victim told police they stopped going to Byrd’s practice for care 13 years ago or more. Byrd and his attorney claimed to have documents that show the victim continued to see Byrd into the mid-2010s.
The probable cause affidavit also reported that, during their investigation, officials determined Byrd had multiple extramarital affairs with patients throughout parts of his career. He allegedly communicated with patients he had inappropriate relationships with via Telegram, an instant messaging service.
One person alleged that Byrd used a messaging function built into an online Yahtzee gaming app to communicate with those he had inappropriate intimate relationships with, according to court documents.
A sexual assault exam was performed on the victim who came forward first. Another person’s DNA was present in the sample the victim provided via a rape kit. The sample, however, “demonstrated an insufficient quantity of (the other person’s) DNA for further analysis,” per court documents.
If convicted, Byrd could face up to 16 years in prison and a fine of $10,000. A preliminary hearing has not been set for Byrd’s case.
