Columbia: A Missouri man who advertised himself as a massage therapist on Facebook has pleaded guilty to sexually abusing clients.
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The Columbia Daily Tribune reports that 68-year-old Karl Swope pleaded guilty Wednesday to two misdemeanor counts of second-degree sexual abuse.
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The Board of Therapeutic Massage accused Swope in August 2018 of inappropriately touching three women and practicing massage therapy without a license. Columbia police then interviewed two clients who said they were sexually assaulted by Swope. Court records say he had faced similar accusation in Rolla.
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Swope maintained a Facebook page advertising his services as “Deep tissue muscle therapy.” His victims said he hung certificates on the wall next to his massage table, and some clients were provided a gratuitous copy of his book “22 Healing Acupressure Points by Karl Swope.”
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