Santa Rosa Chiropractor Charged with Molestation, Sexual Battery

A Santa Rosa chiropractor was charged in Sonoma County Superior Court on Wednesday morning with molesting two underage female employees and sexual battery on one of the alleged victims this year.

Daryoush “Darius” Mohammad Bunyad, 35, of Petaluma, delayed entering a plea to two misdemeanor charges of annoying or molesting a minor and one count of felony battery. His next court date is Dec. 15.

Santa Rosa police said Bunyad asked the females to remove their undergarments during treatments they received at Health Performance Chiropractic at 208 E St. in Santa Rosa.

Bunyad allegedly touched the girls’ bare breasts and made explicit comments, police Sgt. Terry Anderson said. He was arrested on Nov. 20.

Police took reports in November and December 2014 from two adult women who believed they were sexually assaulted by a chiropractor while receiving treatments at the E Street office, Anderson said.

One of the women also was an employee in the office, but due to the complex relationships between the chiropractor and the two women, the investigation did not prove a criminal act occurred, Anderson said.

During that investigation, police learned about one of the two underage female employees, but she did not disclose any criminal behavior by the contractor. Police, however, informed the California Board of Chiropractic Examiners about their investigation, Anderson said.

In October 2015, a female school counselor informed police about a different female under 18 who said she had experienced several incidents of what she considered inappropriate comments and touching by a chiropractor while working in his office and receiving treatments, Anderson said.

During a subsequent interview, the female provided a detailed account of the behavior by the chiropractor, Anderson said.

Police then interviewed the initial juvenile female again, and she disclosed the same type of behavior described by the other female juvenile while she worked in the office and received treatments, Anderson said.

Deputy District Attorney Barbara Nanney said one of the juvenile females said chiropractic care was part of her job compensation.

Nanney said the alleged offenses on one of the employees occurred between April and the end of September and between August and mid-November on the other employee.

Bunyad and his attorney Amy Chapman declined to comment on the charges Wednesday morning.

--Bay City News Service