Editor’s note: Readers/viewers may find some portions of this story disturbing due to the nature of sexual assault.
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A former Amish woman claims a Kansas City-area chiropractor sexually abused her when she was a teenager.
Nearly 20 years later, Fannie Hershberger is sharing her story with the KSHB 41 I-Team in hopes of others speaking up, too.
“I was scared. I was terrified, but they’re not alone,” Hershberger said.
The FBI investigated Dr. David Clark and raided his Oak Grove office more than two years ago.
Court records show the FBI believed Clark had sexually abused dozens of victims, mainly within the Amish community, over the course of decades.
Federal prosecutors didn’t file charges, but Jackson County prosecutors charged Clark “in connection with sexual assaults of juveniles and adult women” last September.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE |Oak Grove chiropractor charged with sex crimes involving patients
“It met our burden. It met our threshold of a case that we believed should be filed,” said Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker.
The case took an unexpected turn when Clark died in January of 2024, forcing the criminal case against him to be dismissed.
Hershberger and another woman are seeking justice through a civil lawsuit, originally filed in December 2023, against Clark and his business.
Hershberger’s story
Trauma still haunts Hershberger.
At 14 years old, she says her Amish parents took her to see Clark. Their journey by bus took them from Bertha, Minnesota, to Oak Grove, Missouri.
“All I knew was my parents were taking me to a doctor for some pain I was having,” Hershberger said.
The chiropractor, known for being holistic, had an office in Oak Grove in eastern Jackson County, Health+Plus.
Archives from his website showed he called himself, “The doctor the Amish trust!”
“And this doctor was supposed to help me,” Hershberger said.
Hershberger says what happened next took nearly two decades to process. She says a key reason is her Amish upbringing.
“Anything sexual, it was considered shameful to talk about that, so I didn’t say anything,” Hershberger said.
Hershberger says she left her Amish community when she was 17.
The former Amish woman spoke with the I-Team from Arizona.
“It’s my little sisters that really pushed me to move forward and speak up and share my experience,” Hershberger said.
LINK | Read the lawsuit
In her civil lawsuit, now against the estate, Hershberger claims Clark sexually abused her when she was a patient. Another woman joined the lawsuit making similar claims.
Hershberger’s lawsuit also alleges Clark claimed he was “administering chiropractic manipulations, pelvic treatments, or visceral manipulations” on her and other alleged victims.
“I didn’t know much about doctors and what they were supposed to do,” she said. “I didn’t know much about that at that time.”
LINK | Response from Clark’s estate to Hershberger’s lawsuit
In response to Hershberger’s lawsuit, the attorney for Clark’s estate denied the allegations but admitted Clark was licensed in the state of Missouri as a chiropractor and did not have any additional medical degrees.
FBI agents raid Clark’s office
Photo Credit: Ruth Ann Hafner, Focus on Oak Grove
In June 2022, FBI agents raided Clark’s office.
A special agent with the FBI claims Clark used his position to “make his victims believe the sexual abuse he inflicted on them was appropriate and medically necessary,” according to court records.
The special agent estimates Clark sexually abused dozens of victims, including some from the Amish community, as far back as the 1980s.
The agent added, “For many of the alleged victims, the chiropractor was their first interaction with any medical professional.”
Law professor provides insight into Amish community
The I-Team spoke with Marci Hamilton, a constitutional law professor at the University of Pennsylvania, to gain more insight into the Amish community.
“Amish women and girls are the perfect victims because they are not taught about sex,” Hamilton said.
Hamilton reviewed the probable cause statement and civil lawsuit against Clark.
“What I saw as the big red flag in this case is you have a chiropractor who’s engaging in what amounts to gynecological exams,” Hamilton said.
Hamilton is also the founder and CEO of Child USA, a nonprofit fighting for the civil rights and prevention of sexual abuse of children.
She explained why Amish women and girls often stay silent about sexual assault.
“So, for many of the females in the Amish community, they’ve learned through watching that silence is their safest way of going, but the tragedy is that just creates more opportunities for the people who would take advantage of them,” Hamilton said.
“What would your message be specifically to Amish women and girls?” asked KSHB 41 investigator Cameron Taylor.
“My message to Amish women and girls is that it is never holy to be sexually assaulted, and so the practices that led to your sex assaults are the practices that need to be examined and eliminated,” Hamilton responded.
Criminal charges filed against Clark later dismissed after his death
In September 2023, Jackson County prosecutors filed criminal charges against Clark including first-degree sexual abuse and first-degree statutory sodomy.
Hershberger was the whistleblower in the case.
“We believed in the evidence, and we believed that we could hold this defendant accountable for those actions. I’m grateful that we got that shot, that we got to file,” said Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker.
“What sort of red flags stood out for you when filing these charges initially?” asked KSHB 41’s Cameron Taylor.
“This is not a medical service and certainly not a medical service provided by a chiropractor, so, of course, those are first,” Baker responded.
Prosecutors dismissed the criminal case after Clark died in January. Clark’s obituary says he died from heart failure.
“I think it’s hard any time you have to look at victims and tell them you couldn’t receive justice for them for whatever reason,” Baker said. “This falls into one of those categories where the process, we just didn’t have time to get through the process; although, this conduct spanned decades.”
Baker applauds Hershberger’s courage in coming forward.
“I do really pray that there is a measure of justice still for her and not for her alone,” Baker said.
When Hershberger learned about Clark’s death, she explained what crossed her mind.
“I was disappointed. Yeah, I was disappointed,” Hershberger said.
Hershberger’s civil lawsuit still pending
Hershberger’s civil case is still going through the legal system. In the meantime, she told the I-Team what she’s focusing on.
“What I’m really working on right now is feeling worthy, you know?” Hershberger said.
She also wants to make change by requiring Amish leaders to become mandatory reporters and hopes her story will encourage others in her former community to come forward.
“There’s others still in the community that are still dealing with this, and if I don’t speak up, I can’t ask anybody else to speak up either,” Hershberger said.
The I-Team reached out to the attorney representing Clark’s estate but never heard back.
A civil trial date has been set for August 2025.
While Clark’s office is no longer in business, the I-Team discovered another business, also offering holistic services, took over.
We reached out to the owner of that business for comment but did not hear back.
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If you have been sexually assaulted, you can receive services from MOCSA by calling its 24-hour crisis line at 816-531-0233 in Missouri and 913-642-0233 in Kansas.
The state of Kansas also provides a crisis hotline at 1-888-END-ABUSE (888-363-2287).
Leaders said it doesn’t matter how long ago the assault happened, they still are available to provide support and resources.
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Publish date : 2024-09-18 11:00:00
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