Massage therapist convicted of sexually assaulting clients - Brownwood Bulletin

[massage]

Steve Nash
Testifying Tuesday in 35th District Court,  70-year-old massage therapist Rolando Santamaria claimed five women were lying when they said he’d touched them in a sexual manner while giving them massages at an Early business.
    And it’s totally normal for a professional masseuse’s hands to be slippery with oil and accidentally touch clients in that manner, Santamaria told District Judge Steve Ellis. Santamaria said he believed that’s possibly what happened to the women, Santamaria claimed.
    Ellis said he believed every victim who testified was telling the truth and that Santamaria was the liar.
    Ellis convicted Santamaria, of Mullin, of the sexual assaults of two clients and sentenced him to two consecutive 15-year prison terms. Ellis also convicted Santamaria of attempted sexual assault of a third client and sentenced him to a consecutive 10-year term.
    Assistant District Attorney Christina Moss told Ellis in her opening statement that none of the five women knew each other. Moss elicited testimony from the five women, including the three who were named in indictments, who alleged Santamaria had touched them in a sexual manner while giving messages.
    Defense attorney Jimmy Stewart told Ellis in his opening statement that Ellis would hear details that would cause him to doubt the truthfulness of the state’s witnesses.
    Santamaria was arrested March 20, 2016 in Del Rio on a sexual assault warrant from Brown County and transferred three days later to the Brown County Jail.
    The indictments alleged that Santamaria committed acts on:
    •  Oct. 15, 2014. Santamaria was accused of making sexual contact with a client.
    • Jan. 20, 2015. Santamaria was accused of attempted sexual assault of a client.
    • Jan. 21, 2015. Santamaria was accused of making sexual contact with a client.
    According to an earlier email from Early police:
    A 38-year-old woman told police in January 2015 she visited a business in the 400 block of Early Boulevard for a massage. The masseuse, identified as Santamaria, had recently opened up a business there.
    The victim knew Santamaria and had previously received a massage from him. The woman alleged to police that Sanataria was performing a massage when he began touching her in a sexual manner.
    The woman immediately got up, told Santamaria the massage was over, got dressed and left. The woman said Santamaria said "I am sorry" in Spanish.
    Detectives contacted Santamaria and asked him to come to the Early Police Department to talk about the incident. Santamaria never made his appointments. Sanatamaria's lawyer told police he'd had no contact with Santamaria and did not know Santamaria's whereabouts.
    After Santamaria was arrested in March 2016, additional women, who'd initially been too embarrassed to make a complaint, came forward, police said earlier.

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