Sarasota Massage Therapist Arrested For Sexual Battery: Police

SARASOTA, FL – Sarasota police have arrested a massage therapist on sexual battery charges and say there could be additional victims.

Michael Morris, 53, was arrested for a sexual battery incident that happened in a salon suite at Salons by JC, located at 200 Central Ave., on Sept. 10, Sarasota police said in a news release.

The victim, an unidentified woman, said she has received massages from Morris and he “has never been inappropriate with his massages in the past,” until this incident, according to the police report.

During their session, he asked her if she would like a “yoni” massage. She told Morris that she didn’t know what this type of massage is, “but trusted him,” the police report said.

After this, he massaged her groin and digitally penetrated her vagina. The victim said “she was in shock” when this happened, the police report said. She also heard him unzip his pants but wasn’t sure if he exposed himself.

The massage lasted for about 15 minutes before he asked her to flip over and continued with a “normal massage” for another 10 minutes, the police report said. The victim said she alerted the salon’s manager about the incident before going to police.

Morris was arrested Dec. 1 at his home in the 2700 block of Cocoanut Bay Lane following an investigation of the incident.

His massage therapy license with the Florida Department of Health is listed as “Emergency Restriction/Active,” police said. According to the DOH, this designation means the licensed practitioner is restricted by emergency order of the department. The licensed practitioner may practice in Florida, but has restrictions specified by emergency order.

Morris is no longer listed on the Salons by JC website. Sarasota Patch contacted the salon for comment.

Since his arrest in December, Sarasota police have continued their investigation. Detectives say Morris had contact with multiple people as a massage therapist and believe there may be additional victims.

Anyone with information is asked to call Detective Steven Fergus at 941-263-6059 or leave an anonymous tip with Crime Stoppers by calling 941-366-TIPS (8477).