HOLLYWOOD, FLA. (WSVN) - A man accused of inappropriately touching a pregnant woman while acting as an unlicensed masseur has bonded out of jail after his arrest.
7News cameras captured Jia-Nan Cheng as he walked out of the Broward County Jail, Friday night. He covered his face with a sheet of paper and declined to comment on his charges.
The suspect appeared in court on Friday morning.
“Mr. Cheng, you’re charged with practicing without a license,” the presiding judge said.
The 57-year-old faces multiple charges after, Hollywood Police said, he pretended to be a licensed masseur who repeatedly touched a customer inappropriately at the Oriental Foot Massage, located at 2921 Stirling Road, back in October.
Area residents were shocked by the masseur’s disturbing actions.
“Disgusting. If I’m going to a massage place, that’s very unprofessional,” said Melissa, who was shopping near the spa.
The victim, who was six months pregnant at the time, told detectives, said she went to the spa after she received a gift card, and when she got there, she was told to get undressed.
That is when, the victim told police, Cheng began her 30-minute free body massage. The victim said things began normal, until the suspect began fondling her breasts and other body parts.
When the victim told Cheng, “No, I’m not here for that,” an affidavit states, the suspect stopped, but a few minutes later, the inappropriate acts continued, and he kept touching her breasts.
When he touched other private areas, the affidavit states, the victim grabbed Cheng’s hands, and she told him, “No, don’t do that, your hands belong up here.”
Police said the last straw was when the suspect took the victim’s hand and put it on his private parts, prompting her to say, “Are you kidding me?”
It was at that point that the victim ended the massage, left and called police.
Following a lengthy investigation, Cheng was taken into custody.
Melissa said she receives a massage once a month at a different spa and has never had an experience like the victim’s.
“It’s very professional: my shoulders, my back, my arms, but never, like, my private area or anything like that, absolutely not,” she said.
The affidavit states the suspect had only worked at the Oriental Foot Massage for three months.
Cheng’s charges include simple battery. He was held on a $5,000 bond before he bonded out.
Copyright 2024 Sunbeam Television Corp. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.