Police: Vancouver massage therapist sexually touched clients
Valentin Delgado allegedly had unwanted sexual contact with three clients
By Patty Hastings, Columbian
Social Services, Demographics, Faith
Published: April 9, 2015, 5:00pm
Share:
A Vancouver massage therapist allegedly had unwanted sexual contact with three clients, and the police are asking any other alleged victims to come forward.
Valentin Delgado, 40, was arrested last week and appeared in Clark County Superior Court on suspicion of three counts of indecent liberties.
In December of 2012, Delgado touched a woman’s vaginal area and massaged her breasts during a treatment session, according to documents filed in Superior Court. While Clark County sheriff’s Deputy Tom Dennison investigated that incident, he learned about another similar allegation.
A month later, in January of 2013, a 17-year-old girl was getting a massage when Delgado touched her vagina for several seconds until she moved away, court documents said. She immediately ended the massage and told her mother about the inappropriate touching. While being interviewed by Dennison, Delgado denied the allegations and said he knew it was inappropriate behavior.
In late February this year, a pregnant woman said Delgado touched her vaginal area and caused pain, which she reported to her fiance, according to court documents.
Vancouver police Detective Carole Boswell contacted several massage agencies that Delgado was employed at and learned about a pattern of clients complaining of discomfort. They said he failed to cover their bodies in a professional manner, left massage oil in places that were inappropriate to massage, and tucked the covering sheet into their underwear, court documents said.
During Boswell’s investigation, she determined that Delgado had worked at several area spas, including:
o Bridge Chiropractic in Salmon Creek from July 2014 to April 2015.
o Estetica Day Spa in Longview from September 2013 to August 2014.
o Elements Therapeutic Massage in Vancouver from June 2013 to December 2013.
o Spoiled Spa and Salon in Vancouver from October 2011 to September 2013.
o Hand & Stone in Vancouver from October 2011 to April 2013.
No other therapists in the office where Delgado has worked are under investigation or associated with the criminal case.
The Vancouver Police Department believes there may be other clients who never officially came forward with complaints. Anyone who thinks they may have been inappropriately touched or made uncomfortable by Delgado during a massage is asked to call the agency’s tip line at 360-487-7399 and leave a detailed message for Boswell regarding case number V15-3284.
Delgado has had a massage practitioner license in Washington since September 2011. In that time, he hasn’t had any enforcement action taken against him by the Washington State Department of Health.
Delgado’s license remains active in the state, but state health officials could choose to open an investigation and pursue sanctions as a result of the criminal investigation.
The state runs criminal background checks on health care license applicants and also runs their names through a national database where state licensing agencies can report enforcement action taken against providers, said Kelly Stowe, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Health.
Court documents say that Delgado has worked as a massage therapist for 10 years and was fired in 2011 from Massage Envy in Fleming, Fla., for sexually harassing a female coworker. If Delgado’s termination from the Florida business didn’t result in criminal charges or sanctions from the state licensing agency — or the agency didn’t report the sanctions to the national database — the state wouldn’t have known about it, Stowe said.
Delgado is scheduled to appear in court today for his arraignment.
Columbian staff writer Marissa Harshman contributed to this report.
Morning Briefing Newsletter
Get a rundown of the latest local and regional news every Mon-Fri morning.
