MATTYDALE -- There are eight victims who will likely face Dewitt chiropractor Eli Guterman in court.
Dr. Eli Guterman, 30, was arrested on December 17, accused of touching four women inappropriately, at his practice, the Back N Touch Wellness Center.
Guterman now faces two additional counts of sexual abuse and forcible touching for inappropriately touching victims at his office on East Genesee Street.
One alleged victim told investigators he "took his pants off and got on top of her and rubbed himself against her."
Terri LeMay, a licensed massage therapist at A Touch Above Wellness Spa in Mattydale, says it's never appropriate for a massage therapist to remove his or her clothing.
When it comes to the client's clothing, LeMay says it's in the hands of the client.
"We encourage people to undress to their level of comfort. All private parts, in fact the entire body, especially private parts, are always covered at all times and the only parts that are uncovered are what we're working on at that time," says LeMay.
In several cases, victims claimed their private parts were exposed during a massage which LeMay says is in appropriate. She says if it happens on accident, a massage therapist should quickly cover it up and move on.
Some of the victims were employees who say part of their interview consisted of giving and getting a massage.
"It's common practice for a massage therapist to do a massage during their interview process but it is not common practice to receive one in the process," says LeMay.
In a profession with an already fragile reputation this one local incident is something all massage therapists in Central New York will ultimately have to deal with.
"It's not good when these things happen. When these things happen the rest of us take a hit. And then we have to work hard to get the profession back to the way it should be," says LeMay.
Remember if you ever feel uncomfortable with a massage, speak up. It's your massage and most importantly, your body.
