Grant Hildreth Sentencing

Former chiropractor pleads guilty to sexual battery

AMERICAN FORK --A former American Fork chiropractor appeared sunburned and exhausted Wednesday as he plodded onto the courtroom floor and ended a protracted, half-decade legal battle over his alleged sex abuse.

In a series of terse one- and two-word answers, Grant Hildreth, 48, acknowledged during a hearing that in 2007 he inappropriately touched a woman in a way that "caused her alarm and concern." When Judge Christine Johnson asked Hildreth if he planned to plead guilty to two class A misdemeanors for sexual battery, he paused, looked at his attorney, then simply said "yes."

Hildreth pleaded guilty to the charges as part of a plea bargain with prosecutors. In addition to pleading guilty, he also promised not to apply to become a chiropractor or massage therapist in the United States for the next 25 years. In exchange, prosecutors reduced Hildreth's charges from second-degree felonies for forcible sexual abuse.

Following the entry of his pleas, Johnson sentenced Hildreth to five years of court-supervised probation.

The pleas and sentencing wrapped up the case that had dragged on for years and moved through multiple courts. Hildreth originally was convicted by a jury in 2008, after a former employee testified that he fondled her while providing treatment for a bladder infection at his American Fork office. Three other women testified that he fondled them during visits at his office and at his Riverton home, but the jury found him not guilty on those charges.

But in November, the Utah Court of Appeals overturned that conviction. The court found that including the testimony of the three other accusers was unduly prejudicial against Hildreth. The prejudice outweighed the value of including such evidence, the court ruled, and the case went back to Utah County prosecutors.

Defense attorney Carolyn E. Howard said that her top priority after the appeals court decision was ensuring that Hildreth avoided further prison time. Hildreth spent two years in prison before his conviction was overturned.

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