New Charges Against Masseuse

A massage therapist who was acquitted of charges of third- and fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct in January faces a new sexual misconduct charge stemming from allegations from a different woman.

Jeffry Warren Knapp faces charges of third-degree criminal sexual conduct and a charge of perjury, both felonies that carry up to 15 years in prison.

Warren is accused of assaulting a woman at Loving Hands Massage in East Bay Township in April 2018.

The woman told Grand Traverse County Sheriff’s deputies that she booked a massage with Knapp and told him she did not want to be touched on her feet or legs; when he started to massage her feet and she objected, she said he continued, saying he may as well finish. Knapp made “bizarre” and “uncomfortable” motions as he moved up her leg until he digitally penetrated her, causing the woman to end the message and leave, according to the charges.

Knapp, 55, is also accused of perjuring himself when he testified at his trial on similar charges involving a different woman. He testified that he left a job as a masseuse at a resort because there wasn’t enough work, when in fact he left amid accusations from another client, according to the charges. Knapp was arrested Thursday.