Accusations Explode Against Sex Assault Suspect Claiming To Be Massage Therapist
AURORA, Colo. (CBS4) - Five more victims have come forward with complaints about a man accused of sex assault on an Aurora teenager, police said Wednesday.
Police said Robert Smith, 28, posed as a massage therapist when he contacted a 15-year-old girl on Craigslist. She had posted about seeking employment and he contacted her to practice his massage therapy on her and her 21-year-old sister, promising them compensation.
The suspect met the victims at their home on Sunday. Police say the suspect first performed massage on the 15-year-old and assaulted her.
"(The teen) felt inappropriate things were going on, but due to the mental state that she was in, she didn't say anything. When he moved on to her sister, her sister put a stop to it," police spokeswoman Diana Cooley said.
The sister told him to leave and contacted law enforcement, police said.
Detectives are in the process of talking to the five new victims who called them. Sources say the women never actually met with the suspect because they felt uncomfortable, but police are still investigating based on his attempt to meet with them.
Smith is wanted in Davis, California, on similar charges.
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"It's about the same MO; the same picture," Cooley said. "They recognized the picture that was shown yesterday and it sounds like it was used as well from in the postings they had."
Ironically, the picture Smith used online with his ads helped police identify him through a facial recognition program used by the Department of Revenue. Authorities took the "selfie" Smith provided the two sisters and put into facial recognition software. With the technology investigators were able to correctly identify the suspect as Smith.
In Smith's arrest affidavit the Aurora victims say Smith asked for photos of their bodies because he needed to see their "body type" for massage purposes.
Smith's bond is set for $250,000. His next hearing is Tuesday.
