By Rose Gruenbacher
Attorneys for the prosecution and defense of Clark Petersen made closing statements Wednesday in the Riley County district court trial for charges alleging Petersen sexually abused 19 women who were former patients of his.
A former Manhattan chiropractor, Petersen, 66, was arrested in August 2023 for 19 charges, which by the beginning of trial grew to 64 counts, ranging from rape to aggravated sexual battery to aggravated criminal sodomy. Four of the charges have since been dropped by the prosecution.
Representing the state, Christina Trocheck told the jury this case is about the violation of trust of 19 women who had no ill will toward Petersen or his family, and depended on him to help them with pain and discomfort in order to go about their daily lives.
