Unlicensed massage therapist accused of sex assault - Victoria Advocate

[massage]

A Victoria massage therapist was arrested Friday on a warrant charging him with sexually assaulting a client.

The suspect, Charles H. "Hank" Krebs Jr., surrendered his massage therapist license a year ago amid allegations of inappropriately touching a previous customer. However, he continued to practice in Victoria County.

In the new incident, Krebs is accused of sexually assaulting a longtime customer April 29.

The woman agreed to be interviewed by the Victoria Advocate after she posted a video on Facebook warning others about his business, In His Hands Massage, on state Highway 185 south of U.S. 59. The newspaper does not name people who may be victims of sexual crimes without their permission.

The woman said she was speaking out to warn others. She had frequented his business for about eight years and never suspected that he had a past or that he would assault her.

He misled her about the loss of his license in 2015, she said.

"It doesn't make any sense how he's still practicing," she said. "That's why I wanted everybody to know, because I was like, 'Wow, this guy is so crooked in the head.' ... Like how is he still able to do this and nobody is speaking up? That's not OK."

The woman said she made the April 29 appointment with Krebs because she strained her neck trying to do a headstand. She said Krebs suffocated her by putting a towel and a massager over her head and took off her pants.

"I was in a shocked position to where I couldn't talk," the woman said. "I was so angry inside. I didn't really know what to do. I was so scared."

Afterward, she reported it to the Victoria County Sheriff's Office, which immediately investigated.

Krebs hasn't had a license since the complaint was lodged against him in April 2015, Texas Department of State Health Services spokeswoman Christine Mann said.

The woman didn't know that, and she said she wants to be sure others are warned.

"I feel like nobody speaks out about it enough, and the fact that this has been done by the same person over and over and over kind of got to me," she said. "I didn't feel like anybody else should be going through this. Nobody deserves to be in that position to where they're trusting somebody who works for a business, and you never expect to get molested or raped or whatever at a business."

She also said she wants to remove the stigma for sexual assault victims and be a voice for the voiceless.

"Sexual assault is not just about sex. It's about control, and to let these people control you is not OK. You can't let somebody take over your mind like that - you have to stand up for yourself, and not enough women do," she said.

Krebs has advertised In His Hands Massage online, where he has posted that he has experience in geriatric, orthopedic, sports, Swedish and deep tissue massage among others.

When the Victoria Advocate called one of the phone numbers listed, his wife, Jean Krebs, answered.

"It's in God's hands," she said of the case, declining to comment further.

Massage therapists must be licensed by the Texas Department of State Health Services. Providing services without a license is a Class B misdemeanor, which carries a punishment of up to one year in jail and a possible fine of $2,000.

Since Krebs surrendered his license in April 2015, the Department of State Health Services has had no further complaints about or communications with him. But based on the information the newspaper provided Friday, it will open a complaint for allegations of an unlicensed practice, Mann said.

The newspaper also submitted an open records request for a copy of the April 2015 complaint against Krebs but has not yet received it.

Krebs' bond had not been set Friday night. He will be arraigned Saturday, according to the sheriff's office.

The woman emphasized she hoped the arrest would encourage other women would speak out, too.

"Something like this, what I would want other people to know, is people are so scared to talk about this stuff. I feel like the more I talk about it, the more I release and the less angry I am.

"To report it immediately is very important. Look at all the cases prior to me that couldn't get him anywhere, and this is getting him in custody today."

Reporter Jon Wilcox contributed to this story.

SHARE


Let's block ads! (Why?)