- Orem dentist Robert Bruce Howell is accused of sexually abusing a high school senior during an internship.
- Howell allegedly performed an unlicensed physical exam.
- He exchanged thousands of personal texts with the victim, police say.
OREM — An Orem dentist is accused of sexually abusing a high school senior he met during an internship by giving her a physical examination he was not licensed to perform.
Robert Bruce Howell, 69, was booked into the Utah County Jail on Wednesday for investigation of object rape and forcible sexual abuse.
Howell runs Orem Pediatric Dentistry, 442 W. 800 North, according to the business website.
The investigation began in November when a woman contacted police alleging that when she was a senior in high school during the 2023-2024 school year, "she was given the opportunity to be an intern at a local business. The business she worked with was Orem Pediatric Dentistry. During the time the victim worked at Orem Pediatric Dentistry, she was under the direct supervision of Dr. Robert Bruce Howell," a police booking affidavit states.
Shortly after starting her internship, the woman and Howell began exchanging text messages.
"These messages quickly turned personal with Dr. Howell pursuing the victim using religion as the basis of their conversations. Dr. Howell also provided religious and personal advice outside the scope of a professional and student contact," according to the affidavit. "Over the next several months, Dr. Howell and the victim exchanged over a thousand text messages discussing personal and religious matters. This also included known phone calls where the two would read scriptures together."
Also during this time, Howell purchased hundreds of dollars' worth of equipment to assist the woman with her high school athletics, according to police. Prior to the start of the sports season, the woman was required to obtain a medical examination. Howell told her that he could perform her physical exam, the affidavit states.
Investigators say Howell inappropriately touched the woman while conducting the exam in his office in 2024, the affidavit alleges.
Detectives downloaded data from the woman's phone as part of their investigation and "spent the next several months reviewing this data. Detectives found 3,622 text messages between Dr. Howell and the victim. A small percentage of these messages were specific to work-related topics. However, a large number of messages were personal, some of which were determined to be highly manipulative toward the victim," according to the affidavit.
"During some of these messages, Dr. Howell would request photographs of the victim in clothing he purchased for her. When pictures were sent, he would reply that she was wearing too many clothes and to resend new photographs with specific clothing," the affidavit continued. "This clearly indicated Dr. Howell was sexually attracted to the victim adding to the concern the exam performed two days later was sexually based."
When questioned by detectives on Wednesday, Howell admitted his exam included an examination of the victim's breasts and genitals, the affidavit states. "Dr. Howell also advised the only other medical check was to check the heart and blood pressure of the victim, with no attempts to check orthopedic."
Investigators noted to Howell that not only did the examination fall "outside his professional license," but also the Utah High School Athletic Association "does not need or request" those types of examinations, according to the affidavit.
"Dr. Howell should be considered a danger to society due to his position as a pediatric dentist. He has access to multiple individuals in a vulnerable state and detectives are concerned there are additional victims from statements from the victim knowing other female employees have left under concerning means," police stated in their affidavit.
