‘The only right action’ | Women assaulted by chiropractor share why they decided to come forward and the changes they want to see

Three Manhattan women are speaking publicly for the first time about the abuse they suffered at the hands of local chiropractor Clark Petersen, hoping their stories will help others come forward.

Kate Cashman, Hjerda McAllister, and Carson Kober were among the 16 victims in a case that led to Petersen’s conviction on 51 sex crimes and a 32-year prison sentence.

In an interview with the Manhattan Mercury, Cashman says it was at a book-club gathering where she and friends realized they had all stayed silent too long. “The light started to dawn that, oh, this is endemic,” she said.

McAllister reported Petersen after learning that what he did to her was a crime. “I knew what happened to me was inappropriate,” she said. “I didn’t know it was illegal until I spoke with a detective.”

Kober says she felt something was off when her husband didn’t get the same treatments she did in Petersen’s office. “It started kind of really early on that I felt creepy vibes,” she said. “I also sent my husband in, like my husband had back problems, and he got creepy vibes, but from a different way.”

The women are now focused on helping other sexual-assault victims and finding ways to prevent future crimes.

Reporter Rose Gruenbacher contributed to this story.

Read more on this in Saturday’s print edition of The Mercury or online at TheMercury.com.