Five more women have accused a Beaver County doctor of groping them in his Bridgewater office.

Dr. Robert C. Knapp, 56, already was facing a preliminary hearing on charges that he molested a 24-year-old woman on July 9.

On Tuesday, Bridgewater police filed five new charges of indecent assault against him based on the allegations of five other women. Police and Beaver County detectives also executed a search warrant at his offices on Sharon Road, seizing medical files and taking pictures of the exam rooms.

The women told police that they sought help from Dr. Knapp, an internal medicine specialist, for thyroid problems. But his treatment progressed to back rubs and then groping and fondling, according to affidavits filed by Officer Shawn Shillingburg of the Bridgewater police.

Dr. Knapp's lawyer, Bernard Rabik, suggested yesterday that the women are lying and cited one alleged victim's pending civil case against the doctor as evidence of extortion.

Beaver County court records show that one of the women, who claimed she was molested in 2007, filed a notice to sue on Oct. 9.

Mr. Rabik also said he will file a motion in Common Pleas Court on Monday requesting a gag order against Officer Shillingburg's boss, Chief Doug Adams.

Chief Adams has not returned repeated calls from the Post-Gazette, but he told other media outlets that some 30 women have come forward with complaints against Dr. Knapp and described the doctor as a "predator."

Mr. Rabik said his motion will ask a judge to force the chief to stop making comments to the press, which he said will make it hard to pick a jury in Beaver County.

"The police chief has no right to call someone a predator," he said. "Why is he holding forth in the media that Dr. Knapp is a predator?"

Most of the women's complaints are similar. Several said he had them lie on the examination table so he could adjust their backs, although he is not a chiropractor. From there, they said, he groped them or rubbed himself against them.

One woman said she was being treated when she told the doctor that her golden retriever had recently died. Dr. Knapp hugged the woman tightly, then backed her into an examination table and kissed her. When he kissed her again, she said, "What are you doing?" and he said, "Someone did this for me when I lost an animal," according to her complaint.

The woman who has indicated she plans to sue said she saw the doctor for a thyroid issue on Oct. 30, 2007. He had her put on a hospital gown and told her that she must have suffered a back injury at some point in her life that was causing "weakness in her legs."

She said he had her lie on the exam table on her stomach, then straddled her and began rubbing himself against her.

When she sat up, according to the complaint, he "instructed her to remain still while he finished his exam."

Dr. Knapp is free on $25,000 bond and is still practicing, his lawyer said. He faces a preliminary hearing on all the charges on Nov. 20 before District Judge Tim Finn in Brighton Township.

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