Mirror staff reports:

A Federal Way chiropractor was charged with indecent liberties, a felony sex crime.

Last November, the state Department of Health suspended the medical license of Gregory Reed Summers, 45, former owner of Summers Chiropractic and Massage, which has since been sold. At the time, Summers was accused of inappropriate sexual contact with three patients.

This month, in response to one of the complaints, the King County Prosecutor’s Office filed charges of indecent liberties against Summers. He has not been jailed. He pleaded not guilty at his March 21 arraignment at the Regional Justice Center in Kent. His case setting hearing is May 2. If convicted, he would have to register as a sex offender, according to state law.

In September 2010, a 49-year-old patient ended treatment at the clinic after Summers allegedly touched her breasts during a chiropractic treatment session.

The patient had received five treatments from Summers. On her last visit, after massaging the patient’s back under her shirt, Summers allegedly asked if he could unhook her bra and did so, according to the report.

The patient told police that Summers told her to turn over onto her back, and during the massage, he allegedly placed his hand inside of her bra between her breasts. According to the police report, the patient said Summers put his left hand under her shirt and moved that up under her bra from the bottom of her bra. At this time he had both hands in her bra between her breasts, according to the report.

The patient told police that Summers did not make any adjustments in that area, nor did the patient complain of any pain that would have required Summers to place his hands there.

Three more complaints have been filed with the health department since the initial allegations were announced last November, according to a spokeswoman, who declined further details because the complaints are under investigation.

Other complaints that were made public last November involved accusations that Summers performed “intravaginal” massages and offered himself as a sexual teaching tool.

Although the complaint was first filed in 2010, the health department lacked enough evidence to move forward, said spokeswoman Kate Lynch. The case was re-opened when more evidence was presented.

“In this case we had enough evidence to say he was a potential danger to the public so there was an immediate suspension,” Lynch told The Mirror.

Summers’ credentials will remain suspended until the case is resolved.

“We believe that the charges will be dismissed as groundless,” according to a statement released last November by Robert Zielke, attorney for Summers. “Dr. Summers denies the allegations as baseless. Anyone can file a complaint against a doctor even when the complaint is not accurate or not actionable. Here, the charges were issued without the (Department of Health) having heard Dr. Summers’ testimony and without his opportunity to present contradictory evidence.”