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.
The allegations were passed from the other person to Corewell Health, which reported the situation to Kentwood police on October 10, according to the police department.
Scarlato remains in custody at the Kent County Jail on a $500,000 bond.
Corewell Health removed all mentions of Scarlato from its website by the time police released information on the case on Wednesday. The health system was credited with proactively dealing with the situation once it came to light, according to police.
In a statement, Corewell Health said it does not tolerate any sexual assaults by its staff.
"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," said a spokesperson.
Kentwood police say although charges have already been filed, detectives are still seeking more information about the situation.
“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,” Detective Sarah 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.
