Peoria physical therapist sentenced to prison for child abuse

A physical therapist who pleaded guilty to three counts of child abuse involving one of his juvenile patients was sentenced on Friday to two years in prison and lifetime supervised probation.

Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Jay Adleman also sentenced Edward Ralph Hunter, 63, of Peoria, to register as a sex offender.

Hunter was accused in April 2015 of sexually assaulting a patient several times during her appointments at his physical therapy practice. He reached a plea agreement in June.

The attacks began when the patient was 15 years old, she told police, and continued until April 15, 2015.

"This was the final physical therapy appointment, the last moments of my innocence, the last normal day of my life," she told the court about that April day.

The patient and her family members urged the judge to give Hunter the full presumptive sentencing of 2 1/2 years, citing the trauma he had inflicted on them.

Hunter was arrested April 30, 2015, at his Glendale clinic after he made incriminating statements during a recorded phone call between himself and the patient, police said.

According to the business's website, Hunter established the private practice Enhanced Physical Therapy in 1999 after working at several hospitals as the director of rehab and serving in the Air Force as a physical therapist for five years.

Nearly 50 people filled the small courtroom to provide support to either the victim or the defendant. Tears fell on both sides as Adleman announced the sentencing decision, neither side getting what they had hoped for.

During court proceedings, several of Hunter's family members and longtime patients talked about his abundance of experience and kind character.

"His sense of humor created an atmosphere where healing could take place," one of his patients told the court.