Former Dillon man, a chiropractor, convicted in Utah of sexual abuse

By Jeremy Duda of The Daily Herald - 03/25/2008

An American Fork, Utah, jury has convicted a former Dillon man on two counts of forcible sexual abuse, finding him guilty of assaulting a former employee but acquitting him of allegations made by three former patients.

After more than 10 hours of deliberations spread over two days, the jury in American Fork’s 4th District Court announced its verdict in the case of Grant Joel Hildreth Tuesday morning.

Hildreth, 45, a chiro-practor, had been charged with six counts of forcible sexual abuse, a second-degree felony that carries a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison.

Judge David Mortensen scheduled a sentencing hearing for May 2. Prosecutor Alex Ludlow and defense attorney Carolyn Howard-Morris will present evidence at the hearing, they said.

Ludlow said he was disappointed that the jury found Hildreth not guilty of the other four counts, but was pleased to get the conviction.

“We’re happy that the jury recognized the deviation here and the mistreatment of the patients,” he said. “I still truly believe that there were some inappropriate actions (with the other accusers). But obviously there’s a standard of proof that the state is obligated to meet, and the jury in this case didn’t find something there.

“Disappointed, yes. Surprised, not necessarily.” Howard-Morris conceded that the verdict could have been better for Hildreth, but said she was pleased with the result. After the verdict was read, Hildreth left the courtroom quietly and made no comment.

“Four out of six is pretty good,” Howard-Morris said.

Last week, the former employee testified that in May 2007 she mentioned to Hildreth that she had a bladder infection. She had been receiving chiropractic treatment from Hildreth, and he offered to examine the infection for her as well, she said.

After examining her vaginal area, Hildreth applied an antibiotic gel he said would treat the infection. She took the gel home with her, but the next time he examined her, he applied the gel again while fondling her vaginal area and breasts, she testified.

Three other women testified that Hildreth had inappropriately touched them as well. Two of the accusers said he fondled their breasts or buttocks at his American Fork office, while a third accuser said he slid his hand underneath her panties during a full-body massage in the basement office of his home in Riverton, Utah.

Ludlow said the Utah County Attorney’s Office may still seek to prosecute Hildreth on three other counts of forcible sexual abuse that were severed from this case. The possible charges stem from allegations made by two other women, Ludlow said.

Hildreth was convicted in 1992 of sexually assaulting a 15-year-old girl in Dillon. According to news reports, the sexual contact with the teenage girl occurred in 1989, but he was not charged with a crime until about two years later, when the victim’s father found a letter she wrote to a friend about the assault.

Ludlow said Hildreth was denied reinstatement of his chiropractic license in Idaho in the mid-1990s because of the conviction. He was also investigated for misconduct in Louisiana before moving to Utah, though Ludlow said he did not know the outcome of that investigation.

Hildreth voluntarily surrendered his Utah chiropractic license after charges were filed in June.

— Jeremy Duda can be reached at 344-2561 or jduda@heraldextra.com. The Standard reprinted this story with permission from The Daily Herald in Provo.