Former patient of Chicago area chiropractor charged with sex crimes speaks out; "I feel violated"

A west suburban woman said she and her child might have been secretly recorded while undressing during visits to their chiropractor, who recently was arrested on sex crime charges.

Dr. David Hanson, 43, has been charged with five counts of producing child pornography, three counts of disseminating child pornography, six counts of possessing child pornography, and three counts of unauthorized video recording of a minor, according to the Kane County State's Attorney's office.

Hanson is accused of secretly filming mostly women and children at his office.

Shelby Pinedo and her son were once loyal patients of Hanson. The Batavia chiropractor even used their picture to promote his business. She said "my heart dropped" when she learned of the charges against him.

"This was four or five different times, potentially, that I could be on footage, you know, undressing, getting dressed," she said.

Prosecutors said investigators found more than 180 videos of his patients as they undressed. Most were filmed on hidden cameras in a red-light room used for red-light and infrared therapy, which requires a person undergoing the therapy to undress, prosecutors said. 

Pinedo said she never received the red-light treatment, but undressed for other procedures. She doesn't know if she was secretly recorded.

"He would have us undress from the top up, put a gown on. … I was in these private rooms that were supposedly private," she said. "I feel violated. I feel like my children were violated, because I also changed my sons in there."

Attorney Tom Connelly filed a lawsuit on behalf of a different woman, identified only as Jane Doe, and her two children. The complaint accuses Hanson of hiding cameras "to look like Honeywell room fans" and encouraging her to "perform stretches in the red light room while naked."

"We're alleging negligence against the facility, for failing to supervise this chiropractor, and for failing to – the staff failing to – find these hidden cameras that were in the exam rooms," Connelly said. "We've been reached and contacted by well over 100 people already who are likely victims."

Pinedo is not included in that civil lawsuit. She said she has reached out to the Kane County State's Attorney to try to determine whether or not she's a victim.

Prosecutors said the youngest victim identified so far is just 3 years old.  Hanson appeared in court on Monday, and is being held at the Kendall County Jail.