KENTWOOD, Mich. — A physical therapist who was employed by Corewell Health faces criminal charges after a patient claimed he sexually assaulted her during her treatments.
Mark Scarlato was arraigned on Tuesday on four counts, including both third- and fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct charges.
A woman from Grand Rapids who was seeing Scarlato for treatment told a friend or relative she'd been sexually assault by the physical therapist multiple times from January to April of this year.
According to a law firm representing the woman, the assaults happened at the Corewell Health facility on Lake Drive off of East Paris Avenue.
According to court documents obtained by FOX 17, the patient told investigators she was referred to physical therapy for a knee issue and started seeing Scarlato once weekly between January and March 2025.
During some sessions, the patient said she was touched inappropriately and received treatment that she didn't realize was inappropriate at the time.
Court documents say the patient only realized there was an issue when a yoga instructor flagged it during a conversation about pelvic floor therapy.
The yoga instructor reported the situation to Corewell Health, who contacted Kentwood police on October 10.
Corewell Health provided a statement to FOX 17 regarding the allegations.
"We have zero tolerance for sexual misconduct. As soon as we learned of the allegations, we removed the individual from work and notified law enforcement. We continue to cooperate with law enforcement and the individual is no longer employed with us," the statement reads.
Court documents say Scarlato denied the allegations to detectives.
A search of Michigan's professional licensing database revealed a previous complaint filed against Scarlato in 2010 with the Board of Physical Therapy's disciplinary subcommittee. The complaint accused Scarlato of exposing himself to a patient in 2009.
An order filed in 2011 limited Scarlato's license for two years, placed him on probation and ordered him to complete community service.
Kentwood police said this previous incident was flagged during their current investigation.
Scarlato is being held at the Kent County Jail on a $500,000 bond.
Detective Sarah Schudel said due to the nature of this case, there may be other potential victims. Kentwood police are asking anyone with more information about this case to reach out.
“Due to the nature of this case, there may be other potential victims, and it is our experience that victims of such trauma will, on occasion, delay in reporting these types of crimes,” Schudel said in a statement."We understand it can be extremely difficult to come forward. We are hoping that anyone who has knowledge about this offense or similar offenses reaches out to us.”
Anyone who wants to contact the Kentwood Police Department can call at (616) 656-6600. Anyone who is a victim of sexual assault can anonymously report their situation through Silent Observer at (616) 774-2345.
