90-year-old acupuncturist charged with sexually assaulting patient

By Hannah Mackenzie

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    ASHEVILLE, North Carolina (WLOS) — An Asheville acupuncturist is charged with sexually assaulting one of his long-time patients.

Shi Ying Kuai was arrested on Sept. 26. The 90-year-old acupuncturist is charged with second-degree sex offense and sexual battery. Asheville Police Detective Jonathan McCain said Kuai assaulted a woman during an acupuncture treatment at his home office on Arlington Street.

“Offenders come in all ages, shapes and sizes,” McCain said. “These types of cases can take a long time to investigate, but this one was handled in short order due to the actions and cooperation of a very brave survivor.”

The survivor, River Lajoice, shared her story with News 13’s Hannah Mackenzie. Lajoice said she hopes it will prevent someone else from falling victim.

“He actually thought he was going to get away with this, and it was going to be OK,” Lajoice said.

Kuai’s patient of four years, Lajoice said she saw him twice each week, and nothing was ever amiss until her last appointment at the end of August.

“I started to realize it wasn’t right when he started taking my dress down – as I had needles in me,” Lajoice said. “[He] just began taking my clothes off basically, and that’s when I was like, OK, this isn’t right and then [he] proceeded to put his mouth on my body and it just heavily escalated from there.”

Pinned on the table, the 28-year-old said she screamed for help, but no one came.

“I was telling him to stop. I was like, ‘Please stop, no,’ and he just kept repeating, “Thank you, thank you,” and he kept going,” she said.

The acupuncture needles left her in partial paralysis, Lajoice said, adding Kuai knew exactly what he was doing: taking advantage of her while she was physically and mentally vulnerable. She said trusted him and, over the years, had referred about two dozen people to his practice.

“He was basically like a grandfather, if anything, like a great-grandfather,” Lajoice said. “That’s why I feel very strongly about coming out about this, not only is it respect to myself, and not letting somebody get away with this, but also to like warn people and let them know this is not a man to be trusted.”

Lajoice said she is seeking therapy; still processing what happened to her, but she wants others to know it’s OK to come forward.

“Never be afraid to set boundaries and speak your boundaries – especially when it comes to your own body and your personal space,” Lajoice said. “It’s not just about you, it’s about people that will come after you that will fall victim.”

According to APD, officers are not aware of any additional victims but encourage anyone who has been sexually assaulted to contact the office.

Kuai’s bond is set at $100,000. He is scheduled to appear in court on Wednesday, Sept. 27.

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