The governing body of B.C. physical therapists is investigating the case of a Vernon physiotherapist currently before the courts.
On its website’s home page, the College of Physical Therapists of BC states it’s aware that “one of our registrants, Stephen Witvoet, was charged with two new counts of sexual assault under the Criminal Code (of Canada) while he was treating female patients.
“The college has a mandate to protect the public and takes these allegations seriously. The college has taken immediate steps to initiate its own investigation into these allegations in accordance with the process set out in the Health Professions Act.”
Witvoet is facing four counts of sexual assault and his matters are before the courts with publication bans in place. It’s alleged two of the incidents occurred in 2015 and 2016. He was arrested in Vernon June 10.
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A bail condition currently prohibits Witvoet from treating female patients.
“If the bail condition is altered or lifted, the Act allows the cCollege to take immediate action to ensure public safety until the investigation is complete or pending a disciplinary hearing,” wrote the college. “However, courts have held that colleges must impose the least restrictive action possible to mitigate the risk at this stage of the process.”
The college said it would not be appropriate to comment further while these investigations are underway, but the college “will cooperate fully with law authorities.”
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