Hypnotherapist pleads not guilty to fondling charges

IDAHO FALLS – A hypnotherapist has pleaded not guilty to charges he fondled two female patients while they were in a hypnotic state.

Edward Barry Tegeler, 59, is accused of touching women on their breasts and genitals after two stormed out of his office in March, according to an Idaho Falls Post-Register report.

Tegeler was charged with four counts of misdemeanor battery and posted bail on his $20,000 bond Thursday.

He was convicted on similar charges in Bonneville County in 2003 and sentenced to two years’ probation.

The most recent cases happened in his Idaho Falls office in March, prosecutors say.

On March 27, one woman who said Tegeler was trying to help her quit smoking and relieve her of leg pains agreed to let him treat her through hypnosis. During this session, the woman said she was struggling to come back to consciousness. The police report said she was fully awakened when Tegeler started rubbing her genitalia.

A week earlier, another woman said, she awoke during a session to see Tegeler’s mouth on her left breast and his hands inside her underwear, the police report said.