A 33-year-old massage therapist from Hastings has been charged with sexually assaulting a woman while giving her a massage at an Eden Prairie business.
Richard Michael Bennett was charged in court with criminal sexual conduct in the fourth degree, a felony.
The customer told police that she had never met Bennett. She requested a full-body massage on April 30 and was naked under a sheet. She didn't feel that there was anything sexual about the manner he performed an upper body massage.
But while massaging her legs, he began massaging her vagina with his fingers and palm. This continued 20-30 seconds before she told him to stop.
She spoke with the manager and her money was refunded. When she got home, she told her husband about the situation and then called police.
Bennett's employer suspended him and then later fired him when he allegedly admitted to the acts he was accused of. Police learned of another complaint involving Bennett about two weeks prior to this incident.
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