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Shi-Ying Kuai appears inset against an image of his home and acupuncture practice in Asheville, N.C. (Buncombe County Detention Facility; Google Maps)
A North Carolina nonagenarian used his trusted position as a holistic medical provider to sexually assault one of his longtime clients, using needles to temporarily paralyze her, making her helpless, authorities say.
Shi-Ying Kuai, 90, stands accused of one count each of second-degree forced sex offense and sexual battery, according to a Wednesday press release issued by the Asheville Police Department.
He was arrested on Sept. 26, an arrest report obtained by Law&Crime says. The incident allegedly occurred in August at the defendant’s home-based acupuncture practice on Arlington Street.
Public records about the case are scarce and offer little information, but an APD detective and the alleged victim recently offered thoughts and details in comments to local media.
“Offenders come in all ages, shapes and sizes,” Asheville Police Detective Jonathan McCain told Asheville-based ABC and MyNetworkTV affiliate WLOS. “These types of cases can take a long time to investigate, but this one was handled in short order due to the actions and cooperation of a very brave survivor.”
The survivor, River Lajoice, appeared on camera to share her allegations against the man she once trusted – helping to break a taboo often observed by media and law enforcement in sex crime cases. She says she wants her courage to inspire others. Law&Crime is identifying her because she went public with her story.
“He actually thought he was going to get away with this, and it was going to be okay,” she told the TV station.
The woman said she had been going to Kuai for acupuncture treatments for about four years – twice a week. She never expected what happened at her final session in August.
“I started to realize it wasn’t right when he started taking my dress down,” she said. “As I had needles in me and just began, like, taking my clothes off basically, and that’s when I was like, ‘Okay, this isn’t right,’ and then proceeded to put his mouth on my body, and it just heavily escalated from there.”
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The 28-year-old said she was partially paralyzed from the placement of the needles and that her assailant knew exactly what he needed to do to incapacitate her. She screamed for help. No one came.
“I was telling him to stop,” she told WLOS. “I was like, ‘Please stop,’ like: ‘No,’ and he literally just kept repeating, ‘Thank you, thank you,’ and then kept going.”
The victim said she had referred several friends to Kuai over the years.
“He was basically like a grandfather, if anything, like a great-grandfather,” she said. “That’s why I feel very strongly about coming out about this, not only is it respect to myself, and not letting somebody get away with this, but also to like warn people and let them know this is not a man to be trusted.”
The defendant was detained in the Buncombe County Detention Facility on a $100,000 secured bond.
Jail records no longer show an entry for Kuai as of Sept. 28.
Law&Crime reached out to the APD for additional details on this story, but no response was immediately forthcoming.
“Never be afraid to set boundaries and speak your boundaries – especially when it comes to your own body and your personal space,” she said. “It’s not just about you. It’s about people that will come after you that will fall victim.”
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