Colorado chiropractor who sexually assaulted patients and staff sentenced; judge says scarlet letter was "well earned"
Former chiropractor Brian Rohrick in Fort Collins was sentenced to 60 days in jail and ordered to register as a sex offender. He pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting a number of his clients and staff members. Brian Rohrick reached a plea agreement after nearly 10 women came forward saying he had sexually abused them in his office over the past decade.
One of the victims, Cassiopeia Camara, reached out to CBS News Colorado to share her story publicly for the first time. She said her abuse started after she sought out medical treatment at Peak Performance following a car crash nearly 10 years ago. Camara said the treatment started out normal, but, after several visits, she found herself in an uncomfortable situation. She said Rohrick asked her to put on a gown backward so he could adjust her shoulder. She claimed he then sexually assaulted her.
"As part of my adjustment, my entire chest was groped by (Rohrick) standing next to me with an erection," Camara recalled. "I knew something was wrong in the moment."
Camara said she went on to tell some of her closest friends about what had happened, and even shared her story with her hairdresser. Eventually, she decided to report the incident to business managers at Peak Performance off of Harmony Road and Oakridge Drive.
"She proceeded to tell me I misunderstood what the exam was," Camara said.
Looking back on the conversation, Camara said she was gaslit into believing what she experienced wasn't as serious as she initially felt.
"The mental drain on you to think that you somehow caused that to happen, that you somehow invited it or didn't do enough to stop it, that is a terrifying place to be in," Camara told CBS Colorado.
Camara said, near almost a decade, she had trouble trusting men, specifically male doctors. She said she now always requests female doctors or will bring her husband with her to appointments with male doctors.
She said Rohrick's actions caused her to even forgo medical treatment for issues she needed addressed purely out of fear of interacting with male doctors.
As years passed, Camara moved out of Colorado and tried to move past what had happened to her. However, in 2023, Fort Collins Police Service received a report from another woman claiming Rohrick sexually assaulted her at Peak Performance.
Court records obtained by CBS Colorado show at least one employee told police Rohrick had raped her in an exam room on multiple occasions and increased her pay from $13 per hour to $20 per hour when she confronted him about his actions.
Fort Collins Police eventually took to social media and asked any people who felt they had been victimized by Rohrick to come forward.
Living in another state, Camara was unaware of the investigation until her former hairdresser sent her the Facebook post from FCPS.
"There were a lot of feelings," Camara explained. "From embarrassment, feeling guilt that I didn't do more at the time. Relief that you're not the only one. Again, that guilt that maybe if I would have done more maybe it wouldn't have happened (to others)."
Camara and the judge overseeing the case both said they were concerned that Rohrick continued to commit assaults on women even after he knew at least one -- Camara -- had shared her concerns with others.
Rohrick reached a plea agreement with prosecutors and pleaded guilty to felony charges. The judge told Rohrick he used his position of power and profession to fulfill his sexual desires.
"That is deplorable," Judge Sarah Cure said in court.
The judge went on to question whether or not Rohrick was truly remorseful for what he did and capable of understanding where he was wrong.
"The victims appeared to be hand selected and vulnerable in one way or another," Cure said. "The scarlet letter that is placed on you as a felon, the additional scarlet letter placed on you as a sex offender, is well-earned."
Cure ultimately accepted the plea offer, giving Rohrick the option to either serve 90 days of work release or 60 days of straight time. With only two people in attendance to support him, his neighbor and his wife, Rohrick turned to discuss his options with them. Ultimately, he decided to serve 60 days of straight time. He will then have to register as a sex offender and begin intensive probation supervision. He also cannot have contact with minors other than his children.
Given the chance to address the court, Rohrick shared a few sentences apologizing for what he did. With tears in his eyes, he stood and softly spoke.
"It felt important to stand in court today and say I'm sorry," Rohrick said.
"The last 16 months have been a painful reckoning," Rohrick said. "I have a responsibility to those I hurt ... I know I don't deserve forgiveness, and I can't undo damage … I will spend the rest of my life working to make amends."
As the only victim who elected to address the court in person, Camara said she felt empowered by finally standing up for what was right and sharing her story to the judge. She said it was comforting to see Rohrick placed in handcuffs and taken immediately to jail, knowing he surrendered his license and cannot victimize vulnerable patients again.
"The only bit of relief I felt was the opportunity to be here talking to you," Camara told CBS Colorado. "To speak for the eight other women who didn't feel comfortable sharing their story because it is extraordinarily traumatic. So there is a level of relief that maybe I am supporting someone else. That someone else watching this knows they can do it, that they are strong."