Gwinnett Man Molested Boy During Massage: Police

LILBURN, GA — A Gwinnett County man who advertised himself as a massage therapist has been arrested on charges he molested an 11-year-old boy.

Marco Marquez Hernandez, 48, of Lilburn, was arrested July 8 and charged with aggravated sodomy, aggravated child molestation and giving a false name to police. Hernandez lives on Sunfield Drive in Lilburn.

Earlier that day, Lilburn Police say a woman reported that her 11-year-old son had received a massage from Hernandez and, during the massage, Hernandez had twice touched him inappropriately. The woman said that, in early June, her son had strained a muscle while playing sports.

She had seen business cards advertising massages at a home in her area and called and made an appointment for her son. Hernandez gave the boy a massage and the mother said it alleviated his pain, police said. A few weeks later, the boy complained the pain was coming back and, on July 8, the woman took her son to Hernandez for another massage, according to police.

During that massage, Hernandez is alleged to have touched the boy's private parts twice. The boy reacted negatively to the touches and Hernandez ended the massage, according to police. They say the boy did not immediately tell his mother what happened.

However, when the mother told him she would take him back for another massage, the son told her what had happened and she called police. Lilburn Police say that, during an interview, Hernandez made several inconsistent statements, including claiming that he didn't give the boy a massage at all and that he doesn't give massages at his residence.

Police say those statements were quickly proven false and that Hernandez was placed under arrest.

Photos courtesy Lilburn Police Department