Potential sex assault victims of massage therapist rises to 34 - MLive.com

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Daniel Armand LockettKalamazoo County Jail

KALAMAZOO, MI -- To date, 34 people have contacted the Kalamazoo County Sheriff's Office to share their experiences with massage therapist Daniel Armand Lockett.

Lockett, 37, has been charged with criminal sexual conduct for allegedly sexually assaulting people while performing massages at his business, Unity Integrated Wellness & Fitness LLC in Oshtemo Township.

Lockett faces one count of third-degree criminal sexual conduct and three counts of fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct.

Third-degree criminal sexual conduct involves sexual penetration and carries with it a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison. Fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct involves sexual touching and is a high-court misdemeanor with a two-year maximum penalty.

Since Lockett was charged March 7 for alleged crimes on four women, 30 more people have requested to talk to Kalamazoo County detectives about their experiences with Lockett, said Kalamazoo County Undersherff Pali Matyas.

Matyas said the first four alleged victims came to the sheriff's office independently of each other, and shared information about sexual assaults that allegedly occurred from May 2016 to February 2017. Matyas said once news of Lockett's charges hit the media "it was like a domino" effect. Within 24 hours of his arraignment, six more people came forward, and now a total of 34 have talked or will talk to detectives about their experiences with Lockett.

Matyas said there are so many people requesting interviews with detectives they are scheduling appointments into next week. He said each case will be investigated independently, and the sheriff's office will request any additional charges from the prosecutor's office after investigating all of the claims.

"Some of them believe they're victims," Matyas said, while others want to tell detectives about a "weird" experience they had with Lockett.

"The stories are similar," Matyas said.

Massage from therapist charged with sex assault 'just felt creepy'

One potential victim who decided to come forward to share her story, said seeing Lockett charged made her feel like she "wasn't crazy" for feeling uncomfortable after getting a massage from him in December.

"I wasn't nuts. I was floored, but I was pleased that I wasn't being too sensitive," said Kerry Eldred.

Lockett is out on a personal recognizance bond. He has a preliminary examination on evidence against him scheduled for March 28.

Anyone who has information that could help with the investigation should call the Kalamazoo County Sheriff's Office at 269-383-8821.

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