A former chiropractor who violated “the sacred trust a person places in a health care provider” by sexually abusing a patient at his Highland Park office was sentenced Thursday to 18 months of work release imprisonment and three years of probation.
Kevin Dutton, 39, of Chicago, had pleaded guilty plea to aggravated criminal sexual abuse in exchange for the dismissal of additional charges against him. The guilty plea related to inappropriate contact with a patient in June 2014. Several other former patients came forward and described similar incidents to police after he was charged and the case was publicized.
“What you did in this case was terrible,” Judge Daniel Shanes told Dutton as he imposed the sentence. “It was a violation of the sacred trust a person places in a health care provider when that person puts their health, safety and literally their body in that person’s hands. Violating this trust harms the patient and the profession.”
Shanes said he could have sentenced Dutton to prison, which had been requested by Assistant State’s Attorney Lauren Kalcheim Rothenberg, but the judge said the alternative he chose was a longer period of probation that would give Dutton a chance to receive evaluation and treatment.
Shanes said that for 18 months, Dutton will be released from jail custody only for work, to complete 200 hours of public service and for evaluations and treatment as recommended by probation officials.
Dutton must register as a sex offender for life, Shanes said, and the judge ordered him to contribute $1,000 to the Lake County Children’s Advocacy Center in addition to his court costs and fines.
Shanes also noted Dutton is no longer licensed as a chiropractor but had found a job while out on bond. Dutton had no prior criminal history.
Rothenberg had asked for a prison term, saying Dutton displayed the classic signs of a sex offender.
Before closing arguments, Chicago police Detective Elizabeth Miller said a former patient of Dutton’s had told her in an interview that Dutton penetrated her with a finger during a session.
Highland Park police Detective Richard Rash testified that he interviewed three other women who had contacted the Lake County state’s attorney’s office after the case against Dutton became public. The women described behavior they felt was inappropriate, including inner thigh massages that would brush against their crotch areas, Rash said.
“This was a violation of trust of epic proportion,” Rothenberg said. “A picture of a serial rapist became clear.”
In a victim impact statement read in court, the initial patient to bring allegations in the case wrote that her assault by Dutton affected all aspects of her life.
“My life has been changed forever,” she said, writing that it resulted in her inability to trust men and hold certain jobs as well as a loss of self-esteem and physical deterioration.
Defense attorney Steve McCollum, in cross-examining the detectives, said the women who came forward after the case became public often returned to Dutton for treatment more than once before leaving the practice. He also said they didn’t report any inappropriate behavior until the initial case was publicized.
McCollum requested a probationary sentence, saying a presentence investigation report made that recommendation.
More Top Picks Best Toddler Learning Towers
“Kevin Dutton was a man who, until his arrest, lived an exemplary life,” said McCollum, citing volunteer work and letters of support from friends and family written to the judge.
Dutton addressed the court briefly before being sentenced Thursday, apologizing and asking for the opportunity to avoid prison and work toward self-improvement.
“The first thing I want to say is I am sorry,” Dutton said. “I hope I am allowed to remain in the community and be a productive member of society.”
Aggravated criminal sexual abuse, a Class 3 felony, carries a potential penalty of three to seven years in prison as well as probation options.
Twitter @jimnewton5