PEABODY — Chiropractor Scott Kline, whose practice is based in the city, was ordered held on $50,000 bail in Peabody District Court Tuesday during his arraignment on two counts of possession of child pornography and videotaping a minor, a pair of charges filed against Kline after police allegedly discovered a video on his phone of a minor female, who is known to him, nude while taking a shower.
Kline, 44, already faced a charge of photographing an unsuspecting nude person in connection with the discovery of an alleged hidden camera inside the bathroom at his Chestnut Street business, Back on Track. The new charges are also connected to secret surveillance, as Kline allegedly placed a camera inside a residential home in Middleton, where the video of the minor female was taken, according to the office of Middlesex County District Attorney Marian Ryan.
A not-guilty plea was entered on Kline’s behalf on the new charges. Kline, who donned a green polo shirt, was led into the courtroom in handcuffs and stared straight ahead, expressionless while the arraignment took place. Kline’s license has been suspended.
During the arraignment, Assistant District Attorney Benjamin Haspel said the alleged video of the minor was discovered on Kline’s cell phone, which was searched as part of the initial surveillance case. Upon its discovery, police “confronted” a third-party witness. The witness, whose identity or connection to Kline was not revealed in court, confirmed the residential address where the video was taken and identified the person videotaped as a juvenile.
Haspel argued for bail to be set at $50,000, citing the three felony counts Kline now faces. The prosecution also sought to impose conditions on Kline’s release that he stay away from, have no contact with, and not abuse the victim or the adult witness should he post bail. Haspel also sought to have Kline surrender his passport.
Attorney Paul Moraski, who is representing Kline, argued for a more lenient $15,000 bail, in part based on a conversation he had with Haspel when Kline was arrested on the new charges Monday. In that conversation, Moraski said, Haspel posited that the district attorney’s office would argue for $15,000 bail.
Moraski argued the apparent hike was due to an attempt by the district attorney’s office to “sensationalize” the case.
“We have cameras here, we have a TV crew… to now jack the bail to $50,000 because the case might be sensationalized because we have the press here, I would suggest is inappropriate for somebody that doesn’t have any criminal history [and] no violence whatsoever on his record,” Moraski said, adding that the $50,000 figure was punitive.
Kline is also unlikely to flee given the fact that his wife and two children, both of whom are younger than 5 years old, live in Massachusetts and he is a lifelong resident of the state, Moraski argued. He added that Kline had an opportunity to flee the charges two weeks ago after the initial charge, and did not do so.
But, Judge James Barretto opted to set bail at $50,000, citing the gravity of the charges Kline now faces.
“This case involves extremely serious and equally disturbing allegations,” he said.
Moraski did not speak to reporters following the arraignment. A police report connected to the new charges was impounded at the joint request of Haspel and Moraski.
As detailed in a police report filed regarding the earlier charge, Kline allegedly planted a hidden camera disguised as a hook inside the bathroom at his office. The Police Department was notified of the presence of the alleged hidden camera on July 14, when one of Kline’s patients discovered it. By the time the patient went back to Kline’s office to retrieve the camera, it had been removed from the bathroom.
Police conducted a search of Back on Track and found the alleged hidden camera inside a fireproof bag in a locked drawer in Kline’s office. Officers also found an encrypted USB flash drive in the drawer.
Kline is set to return to court on Aug. 29 for a pretrial conference.
