State health officials have suspended the license of a Battle Ground chiropractor facing rape charges.
The state Department of Health announced Tuesday it suspended the license of Mark S. LaRue, pending further legal action. LaRue, 64, of Kalama was arrested June 29 on suspicion of second-degree rape and indecent liberties. He owns Battle Ground Family Chiropractic at 713 W. Main St., Suite 201.
The suspension means LaRue, who has posted $20,000 bail, cannot practice in the state of Washington until the charges are resolved. The suspension was effective Friday. LaRue has 20 days to respond to the charges and request a hearing.
The Oregon Board of Chiropractic Examiners suspended LaRue’s Oregon license during an emergency meeting on July 2, saying LaRue was “a clear and present danger to the health or safety of his patients and the public” if allowed to continue practicing.
LaRue was arrested in June following accusations he touched a 22-year-old woman and her 47-year-old mother in a sexual manner during massage appointments in April and May.
In late July, the Clark County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office filed additional charges to include six new alleged victims. More than a dozen women contacted police after news of LaRue’s arrest, but nearly half of the new cases fall outside the statute of limitations to press charges, according to the prosecutor’s office.
LaRue has been charged with one count of second-degree rape and eight counts of indecent liberties without forcible compulsion. His case is set to go to trial in January.
LaRue has a history of complaints investigated by both the Battle Ground Police Department and state health officials.
LaRue told police that in 2003 he was investigated by the Battle Ground Police Department for allegedly inappropriately touching a female patient. Investigators contacted the Department of Health and learned that there were actually three complaints filed against LaRue with similar allegations. But police said there was insufficient evidence at that time to charge him.
LaRue was first issued a Washington chiropractic license in December 1997. He was issued an Oregon license in July 2002.
