Massage Envy sexual assault in Austin; APD searching for suspect - FOX 7 Austin

[Meredith Aldis]

Massage Envy sexual assault​

Austin police are looking for a man who a woman said sexually assaulted her during a massage. The woman is now suing the Massage Envy where it happened, its franchise owner, and the massage therapist.

AUSTIN, Texas - Austin police are looking for a man who a woman said sexually assaulted her during a massage.

The woman is now suing the Massage Envy where it happened, its franchise owner, and the massage therapist.

Local perspective:

"Traumatized. I absolutely froze, I couldn't move, I just didn't know what to do," the woman, who wanted to remain anonymous, said.

The woman said she had been a member of Massage Envy for years and would get a massage at least once a month.

"This one was obviously different," FOX 7 Crime Watch reporter Meredith Aldis said.

"Yeah, unfortunately," the woman responded. "It was about halfway through when things took a turn for the worse and seemed off."

She said the massage therapist started crossing boundaries.

"You're in such a vulnerable position, you're in a room by yourself with a complete stranger, you're naked, and it's just a scary situation to be in, and I just completely froze during it," the woman said.

She said the man sexually assaulted her. While trying to get him away, she told him, "I think we're at time, and he immediately just threw the sheet back over me and ran out the door and that was it. I was sobbing, I was shaking, I was just beyond shocked that something like this could ever happen to me."

She said she immediately went to the Austin Police Department, filed a report, and underwent a rape kit exam. Now, Juan Bastida has an active warrant for his arrest.

"What we discovered once we found out who the massage therapist was, was that he actually had a criminal history involving a 2002 burglary, as well as a 2015 assault causing bodily injury to a woman he was dating at the time," Blizzard Greenberg PLLC Anna Greenberg said. "That was highly concerning for us. The fact that this franchise, Massage Envy, felt comfortable enough hiring a massage therapist with that kind of criminal background, especially when it involves violence towards women."

The victim has now filed a lawsuit against Bastida, the Massage Envy Circle C Ranch, and the franchise owner, Helix2Spas Austin.

What they're saying:

In a statement, Massage Envy Circle C Assistant Manager M.J. Cowart said:

"The company terminates providers following any inappropriate conduct that has been brought to our attention."

Dig deeper:

Bastida no longer works at the Massage Envy in the Circle C neighborhood, but his license is still active.

"If there's sufficient evidence for probable cause for an arrest. I think that's sufficient evidence to warrant a suspension of a license," Greenberg said.

However, that’s not how it works through the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation. A license can only be revoked for life if there is a criminal conviction for human trafficking, sexual assault, aggravated sexual assault, and some prostitution crimes.

Austin police continue to search for Bastida.

Big picture view:

"It definitely adds a sense of fear to my life on the daily basis that he's still out there," the woman said.

The woman said she’s using her voice to try to ensure this doesn’t happen again.

"You should be able to go into a situation like that and feel like you can trust that you're going to be safe," the woman said.

She is seeking more than a million dollars through her lawsuit.


The Source: Information from interviews conducted by FOX 7 Austin's Meredith Aldis

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