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A Lakeland psychotherapist is facing a felony charge after allegedly engaging in sexual intercourse with a patient inside his therapy office — cutting short a prior client’s session to do so — according to a Lakeland Police Department arrest affidavit filed in Polk County Circuit Court.
Daniel Wayne Bartlett II, 42, of 210 Victor Road, Lakeland, was charged March 25, 2026, with one count of Sexual Misconduct by a Psychotherapist under Florida Statute 491.0112(1), a third-degree felony. The offense date listed in court records is February 17, 2026 — the date investigators say Bartlett first made a sexual advance toward his patient.
What Investigators Say Happened
According to the eight-page complaint affidavit sworn by Lakeland Police Detective Sedona Lafontant and reviewed by The Space Coast Rocket, the investigation began February 27, 2026, when officers responded to a report of a possible sexual battery. The victim, identified in the affidavit as Tracy Oswald, had been a therapy patient of Bartlett’s for approximately 1.5 years, initially seeking counseling for domestic violence and relationship issues.
Investigators say the therapeutic relationship turned sexual on February 17, 2026, when — at the conclusion of a session — Bartlett told Oswald he had found her attractive for two years and suggested that other male therapists engage in similar conduct with clients while maintaining what he called a “fine line.”
Oswald agreed to meet with Bartlett, and the pair began exchanging sexually explicit text messages first from his Google Voice work number, then transitioning to his personal phone number, according to the affidavit. Bartlett told Oswald to use caution texting him at night and on weekends — and specifically asked her to shift to his personal number so he would feel more comfortable.
On February 19, 2026, Oswald arrived at Bartlett’s office at approximately 6:04 p.m. Surveillance footage from the parking lot confirmed her arrival and departure at 6:31 p.m. According to investigators, Bartlett had cut short a prior client’s session — the first time that client’s session had ever been shortened — to create the window for the encounter. Oswald was not on the official schedule for a session that evening, the affidavit states.
Employer Cooperates, Seizes Accounts
Deborah Boynton, identified in the affidavit as the owner of the counseling practice where Bartlett worked, cooperated fully with investigators. Boynton told detectives that when she confronted Bartlett via text on February 27, 2026, after obtaining the messages between him and Oswald, Bartlett pleaded with her not to go to police and stated, according to the affidavit, “I do not like what I’ve done.”
Boynton subsequently seized Bartlett’s work email and Google Voice accounts and changed the passwords. She also provided investigators with credentials for his Google Voice account and executed a Consent to Assume Online Presence form. Boynton told detectives she had also received complaints from office staff that Bartlett had made repeated inappropriate comments about the physical appearance of clients and coworkers dating back to at least November 2025.
Detectives from LPD’s Technical Services Unit cross-referenced the text messages from Oswald’s phone against Bartlett’s Google Voice account records and found the messages matched completely with no discrepancies, leading investigators to conclude the messages were authentic and not fabricated.
The Law
Florida Statute 491.0112(1) makes it a third-degree felony for a psychotherapist to engage in sexual misconduct with a client, regardless of consent. The statute recognizes the inherent power imbalance in the therapeutic relationship and treats the therapist’s position as incompatible with any claim of consensual sexual contact. A third-degree felony in Florida carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $5,000 fine.
Bartlett lists his occupation in court records as “Business Professional” and is described as married. The case remains pending, and no arraignment date was immediately available in public court records at the time of publication.
The Space Coast Rocket will continue to monitor this case as it moves through the Polk County court system. Case records are available through the Polk County Clerk of Courts.
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