Editor’s Note: This story by Anna Merriman was first published in the Valley News on July 12.
WHITE RIVER JUNCTION — A 70-year-old physical therapist from Woodstock has pleaded not guilty to a charge that he inappropriately touched a female patient during a therapy appointment, according to court documents.
Peter Mayock, the owner of Ottauquechee Physical Therapy, was arraigned in Windsor Superior Court in June on one felony count of lewd and lascivious conduct, according to a bail order. He was released on conditions including that he stay at least 300 feet away from four women who have accused him of inappropriately touching them, the bail order said.
The charge stems from an investigation the Vermont Office of Professional Regulation started in May after it received a complaint about Mayock’s alleged behavior with a female patient during an appointment on May 21, according to an affidavit written by Shawn McGarvin, a detective for OPR, which is part of the Secretary of State’s Office.
In police interviews the patient, who is not named in court documents, said she has been going to Mayock for physical therapy appointments at the Woodstock office for more than 20 years and that he has been professional for most of that time, the affidavit said.
However, during the appointment in May, the patient said Mayock groped her breast, leaving her “stunned,” the affidavit said. She added that after the appointment she gave Mayock a questioning look and he replied “Friday special,” the affidavit said.
Police also spoke with the woman’s friend, who is not named in court documents and who told police she saw Mayock in 2018 following shoulder surgery, the affidavit said. During one appointment, Mayock laid a hand on her breast, she told police, adding that she was “taken aback” and never returned to his office.
Another woman, who worked at the office between 2014 and 2016, said Mayock asked employees to let him practice physical therapy techniques and that she volunteered, the affidavit said. The woman told police during their sessions, Mayock used to “graze” her breast, adding she was one of multiple people to experience “uncomfortable moments,” with Mayock, the affidavit said.
A fourth woman police spoke with said she was Mayock’s patient before 2012 for back issues but stopped going after an uncomfortable incident, the affidavit said. During the incident, she claimed Mayock reached between her legs to her lower back in a way that “freaked” her out, the affidavit said.
Windsor County Deputy State’s Attorney Glenn Barnes declined to say why Mayock was charged only in one of the alleged incidents.
Police also spoke with Mayock’s business manager, who quit the practice following the May complaint. She told police that Mayock had been known to date women he met as patients, the affidavit said.
Calls and messages to Mayock and his attorney, Paul Perkins, for comment were not returned Monday.
These complaints are not the first Mayock has faced during his time as a physical therapist. In 1991, the New Hampshire Office of Professional Licensure and Certification revoked his physical therapy license following a finding he had committed sexual misconduct, according to a copy of the 1990 order.
He obtained his Vermont physical therapy license in 1997 but faced an investigation again in 2009, when the Vermont OPR looked into claims he had reached between a patient’s legs, according to the affidavit.
According to the Ottauquechee Physical Therapy website, Mayock earned a graduate degree in physical therapy from the University of Pennsylvania and has worked as a physical therapist in Vermont and New Hampshire. He also served as former president of the NH Chapter of American Physical Therapy Association.
A new court date for Mayock has not been set.
