DOCTOR'S AIDE DENIES RAPE CHARGES.

Byline: Bhavna Mistry Daily News Staff Writer

A physician's assistant accused of drugging women with a painkiller and then raping them pleaded not guilty Tuesday to four sexual assault charges, Kern County sheriff's officials said.

Chris Lynch, 43, of Rosamond was accused of sexually assaulting two women patients at a Rosamond medical office, and one of them again at a motel.

``There were several incidents over a long period of time,'' said Kern County sheriff's Senior Deputy Rick Price. ``Other charges and counts are expected to come later.''

Lynch worked as a physician's assistant at the Beverly Medical Center at 1415 Rosamond Blvd., where he was taken into custody shortly after 8 a.m. Friday.

Charged with rape by force or fear, rape of an incapacitated person, penetration with a foreign object and lewd acts with a dependent adult, he pleaded not guilty Tuesday in a Mojave courtroom to all the charges.

Lynch is being held at the Lerdo Detention Facility in Bakersfield in lieu of $500,000 bail.

Deputies said they began investigating Lynch after a 47-year-old woman came into a sheriff's station and reported that she believed she might have been sexually assaulted while being treated at the clinic.

``She became suspicious when she realized that she was losing track of time,'' said Price. ``She wasn't aware, but has a pretty good idea.''

Price said Lynch also asked out the woman, but she didn't want to date him. She went to a motel, where she said he injected her with a painkiller, Price said.

``He was treating her,'' said Price.

A second victim, described only as a female adult, was located when she knocked on the closed door of the medical clinic Friday while deputies were serving the search warrant.

Dr. Burdette Thorbus and his wife, Beverly, own the Rosamond office where Lynch has worked since 1991 and another office in California City. Thorbus said he had no knowledge of Lynch's alleged actions.

``I don't know of anything,'' said Thorbus, who was contacted at his California City Medical Center and refused to comment further.

Deputies released a statement asking for anyone with information about other incidents to call Price or Senior Deputy Ron Austin at the Rosamond sheriff's substation at [phone].