BRIELLE — Stefan J. Barnes, 31, Manchester resident and now-former massage therapist of Brielle Integrated Healthcare, was charged with criminal sexual contact after inappropriate contact with a client during a massage session on Aug. 23, according to a Sept. 5 press release from Brielle Police Department.
The day following the incident, Brielle Police Detectives were notified of the situation. The victim, a 50-year-old woman from Staten Island reported that Mr. Barnes “engaged in inappropriate sexual touching and behavior,” according to the press release.
On a separate occasion in June, Mr. Barnes was accused of sexual assault at Massage Heights on Route 35 in Wall Township, the press release stated.
“The patient reported the incident to us first; it was immediately investigated and I immediately terminated Stefan Barnes on the spot. I removed him from the premises,” Joseph Saponaro, Director of Operations at Brielle Integrated Healthcare, told The Coast Star, referring to the day after the Aug. 24 incident.
“Upon his interview with us, in the beginning of June, there was no public knowledge of his arrest,” said Mr. Saponaro.
“We have since been in touch with the Brielle Police Department and we have been cooperating fully with anything they need for the investigation,” he said.
“We are very sympathetic to the patient that this happened to, and we’re requesting that any patients that this could have possibly happened to, to make sure to report it to the Brielle PD or call us if they’ve had a similar experience.”
Mr. Saponaro stated that there have been no other incidents reported to Brielle Integrated Healthcare from any other clients.
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