Massage-therapist nurse faces new sanctions, plus drug and weapons charges - Iowa Capital Dispatch

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An eastern Iowa nurse sanctioned by the state two years ago for sexual contact with a patient is now facing criminal charges and new allegations of improper conduct with patients.

The nurse, Darin Oberhart of Bettendorf, is currently facing drug and weapons charges, and court records indicate Bettendorf police are investigating allegations of improper sexual contact with clients of a massage-therapy clinic he has been operating illegally.

According to state records, Oberhart was sanctioned by the Board of Message Therapy in July 2021. The sanctions were in response to a complaint made by a female patient of Oberhart at Quiet River Massage Therapy in Bettendorf, which is run out of the same downtown building as Oberhart’s QCI Firearms Training.

The patient alleged that during a massage session on Nov. 21, 2018, Oberhart grabbed her breasts five to seven times. She alleged that she raised an arm in order to move Oberhart’s arm away, at which point Oberhart reportedly whispered in her ear, “OK, I’ll stop.”

She left the massage clinic, called her husband and a minister to report what had happened, then contacted the police and filed a formal complaint.

According to the board, Oberhart told police he had only inadvertently touched the side of the patient’s breasts. The Bettendorf Police Department referred the case to the local county attorney for consideration of criminal charges, and the county attorney declined to prosecute.

The Board of Massage Therapy said it found the woman’s account of what transpired to be more credible than that of Oberhart’s, and it concluded that Oberhart had engaged in improper sexual contact with a patient. The board also determined Oberhart had assisted in his wife’s practice of massage therapy without a license.

The board suspended Oberhart’s massage therapy license for a minimum of three years, fined him $1,000, and required him to undergo a psychosexual evaluation before applying for reinstatement. At the time, Oberhart was also an Iowa-licensed nurse.

Recently, two years after the Board of Massage Therapy’s action, the Board of Nursing issued an order requiring Oberhart to surrender his nursing license with the understanding that he can apply for reinstatement in one year.

The Board of Nursing alleges Oberhart did not notify the Board of Nursing of the action taken against him by the Board of Massage Therapy, although that action was publicized at the time.

The nursing license Oberhart is required to surrender expired on May 15, 2023 – two months before the Board of Nursing issued its order requiring Oberhart to surrender it.

Guns and breast-massage materials seized by police​

In April of this year, Oberhart was charged with possession of marijuana and illegal possession of a dangerous weapon after a traffic stop. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges, and a pretrial hearing is scheduled for Sept. 13, 2023.

In May of this year, Bettendorf police obtained a search warrant for Oberhart’s QCI Firearms Training and Quiet River Massage Therapy clinic. Court records indicate the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services had told police in August 2022 the state received a complaint alleging Oberhart was continuing to perform massage therapy, despite the 2021 license suspension.

One woman had allegedly reported that Oberhart told her there are health benefits associated with breast massages and that “he’d be willing to have sex with her because there are health benefits associated with this also,” according to the search warrant application.

Another woman alleged she and Oberhart had sexual intercourse during a massage appointment and that Oberhart took photos during the session, according to the warrant application. Police allegedly obtained billing information and text messages suggesting Oberhart was continuing to provide massages through the clinic.

After obtaining a search warrant, Bettendorf police seized dozens of items from Oberhart’s business, including two handguns; two .22-caliber revolvers; two .38-caliber revolvers; various ammunition magazines and containers; a video camera; a receipt for a seminar called “Secrets of Therapeutic Breast Massage;” an ammunition can that contain a substance believed to be marijuana; four .22-caliber rifles; and two shotguns.

No criminal charges have been filed as a result of the search warrant, and Oberhart could not be reached for comment.

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