Massage therapist at Mall St. Matthews assaulted two women, police say - Courier Journal

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Billy Kobin Louisville Courier Journal

Published 4:56 PM EDT Mar 30, 2019


A man working as a massage therapist at Mall St. Matthews was arrested Friday after police say he assaulted two clients in recent weeks.

St. Matthews Police arrested Wankun Chen, 55, of Mundelein, Illinois, and charged him with first-degree rape, first-degree sexual abuse and bribing a witness, online court records show.

According to police, Chen improperly touched two victims while giving them massages on Dec. 30, 2018, and March 5, 2019.

While working at The Relax Place inside Mall St. Matthews on Dec. 30, Chen is accused of forcing a victim to touch his genitalia.

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The victim was lying face down on a massage table to receive a massage from Chen when he grabbed the victim's hands and pulled them down towards him, according to an arrest citation.

As a result, the victim's hands touched Chen's genitals through his scrub pants, the arrest citation states.

The victim told police she ended the session and was standing up holding a towel in front of her when Chen came up from behind and grabbed her wrists, causing her to drop the towel and unwillingly expose herself.

The victim yelled at Chen, who left the room. The victim dressed quickly and left the business, according to the arrest citation.

She filed a report with the St. Matthews Police Department a few days after the incident.

The March 5 incident allegedly occurred while another woman was receiving a massage from Chen at The Relax Place.

While the victim was lying on the massage table, Chen tugged on and removed the victim's underwear, according to the arrest slip.

Chen also reached down and put his finger into her private area, the arrest citation notes. The victim told Chen to stop and sat up.

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While attempting to get her clothing and leave, the victim told police Chen got down on his knees, pulled out his wallet and showed the victim money inside of the wallet.

Chen does not speak English, according to the arrest citation, and the victim believed he was offering her money to not tell anyone what had occurred.

The victim told police she had received massages from Chen before and had always paid for massages at a front counter.

She left the business and immediately contacted mall security, according to the arrest citation.

Chen was arraigned in Jefferson District Court Saturday morning and later posted $10,000 full cash bond, according to online court records.

His next court date is a preliminary hearing scheduled for April 9.

Reach Billy Kobin at bkobin@courierjournal.com or 502-582-7030.

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