Chiropractor accused of placing secret camera in bathroom, DA says

By Sharman Sacchetti

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    PEABODY, Massachusetts (WCVB) — A Massachusetts chiropractor is facing a criminal charge after he was accused of placing a hidden camera inside the bathroom at his practice on the North Shore.

Dr. Scott Kline, 44, of Middleton, was arraigned on Tuesday in Peabody District Court on the charge of photographing an unsuspecting nude person, according to the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office.

Kline, the owner of Back on Track in Peabody, was seen leaving his practice with his mother late Wednesday night.

“He is a lifesaver,” Kline’s mother told NewsCenter 5 reporter John Atwater. “He kept me out of the hospital for years. End of story.”

Peabody police Chief Thomas Griffin said that on Friday, officers were contacted by one of Kline’s patients who reported that while he was at Back on Track earlier that day, he was using the office’s public bathroom when he saw a black plastic coat hook hanging on the wall next to the toilet tank. Since the coat hook looked out of place, the patient inspected it further and saw a blue light on the side of the hanger, discovering that it appeared to be a hidden camera complete with a lens on the front, a USB port, a power switch and an SD memory card. The patient also documented what he saw on his cellphone and provided that evidence to police, according to Griffin.

A police report obtained by NewsCenter 5 states that when the patient and his father confronted Kline about the alleged hidden camera, Kline reportedly told them: “Please, please don’t do anything. I have a family.” Kline also reportedly asked: “How can we fix this situation? What can we do to make it right?”

A search warrant was later granted and executed at Back on Track. While investigators could no longer find the camera in the bathroom, authorities said police were able to find evidence suggesting the camera had previously been in place. Griffin said police were also able to find several pieces of digital evidence inside Kline’s practice, including hard drives and SD cards.

The police report obtained by NewsCenter 5 states that Kline admitted to placing the camera in the bathroom but that he went on to say there was no power to the device and that it was neither recording nor streaming. Kline was also “very persistent” that the hook was used to hold a toilet brush and was not being used as a camera, according to the police report.

The police report went on to state that officers later found a camera disguised as a coat hook, along with an encrypted flash drive, inside a fireproof bag that was placed in a locked drawer.

Kline declined to speak with NewsCenter 5 about the allegations, but his attorney denied the charge Kline is facing.

“Yes, it was being used as a hook, and I get it. Fact is sometimes stranger than fiction, and it’s probably hard for viewers or anybody else to believe that,” said Paul Moraski, Kline’s lawyer.

According to the police report, investigators also found a flash drive in Kline’s practice that contained hundreds of homemade pictures and videos of women who were undressed or having sex, and that some of those pictures and videos had Kline in them. The report states that police believe those encounters appeared to be consensual.

The report also states that police found a list of 117 women that included their names, ages and number of sexual encounters, among other details. Kline is not facing any charges in connection with that list.

“They had four hard drives, two computers, three USB drives, two iPads, three cellphones and not one scintilla of evidence that actually shows that corroborates or any photographs, video or anything else,” Moraski said.

Kline posted $10,000 bail, but a judge ordered him to stay away from and have no contact with the patient who reported him to the police.

Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan said that after the arraignment, the case was referred to her office by the Essex District Attorney’s Office in order to avoid a potential conflict of interest.

The next scheduled court date in Kline’s case is Aug. 29 for a pretrial conference that will be handled by a Middlesex County prosecutor in Peabody District Court, according to Ryan.

The Massachusetts licensing board governing the chiropractors in the state has been notified of the incident, authorities said.

This case is being investigated by the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office and Peabody Police Department with assistance from the Massachusetts State Police.

Investigators assigned to this case are actively processing the evidence recovered from Back on Track and working to identify potential victims. Patients of Kline’s or any other member of the public that believe they may be a victim, or anyone who has information about this case, are asked to call Peabody police at 978-538-6300 or 978-531-1212.

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