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By
Aerial Lopez [former]
- January 26, 2023
Court
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Daily Stories
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Sex Abuse
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Sexual Assault
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During a Jan. 26 status hearing, the time a defendant was set to spend in a bed-to-bed treatment program was reduced for reasons that were not stated in open court.
On Sept. 29, 2019, the defendant allegedly sexually assaulted a woman who’d sought massage services from DD Balance, a spa located on the 3000 Block of Georgia Avenue, NW. The defendant, 37, worked at the spa as a massage therapist. Court documents cited the victim after the incident, and stated the defendant exposed himself to her and forced her to participate in nonconsensual sexual acts.
The defendant was indicted on two counts of first-degree sexual assault of a patient or client and one count of kidnapping. He was admitted to the program in 2022 by a court order to treat the defendant’s substance abuse.
During a status hearing on Thursday, the defense attorney shared correspondence he’d received from the defendant’s treatment officer at St. Elizabeth’s Hospital. This message stated that the defendant was to be released to the general public on Feb. 1, a month-and-a-half earlier than anticipated. He was originally set to be released from treatment on March 26.
The prosecution and representative of the victim were outwardly concerned with this change. Both said they believed that with his release, the defendant would be a flight risk.
DC Superior Court Judge Richard D. Okun was also apprehensive of the defendant’s release. Even so, no motion to hold the defendant was raised and court was adjourned.
The next status hearing is set to occur on Feb. 3.