Blind massage therapist found not guilty of groping Hoover client - AL.com

[massage]

A massage therapist arrested for sexual abuse in 2015 amid accusations that he groped a client has been acquitted.

A Jefferson County jury this week found James Spencer Whitehead Jr., who is 39 and blind, not guilty, according to court records made public Friday. Hoover police arrested Whitehead in September 2014.

The previously-alleged incident happened Sept. 11 at Whitehead's business, Awesome Touch Massage Therapy on Southland Drive in Hoover. The client, now 61, told police she was receiving a massage when she was subjected to sexual contact by Whitehead.

"She was getting what she thought was a legitimate massage,'' Hoover police Capt. Gregg Rector said at the time of Whitehead's arrest. "He touched her in a way that was unwanted, unprofessional and criminal in nature."

The woman immediately left Whitehead's salon and contacted Hoover police.

It wasn't immediately clear whether Whitehead is still a practicing massage therapist.

"We're obviously disappointed with the outcome but certainly respect the jury's decision,'' Rector said. "Sex abuse cases don't always have the physical evidence that exist in other crimes so they can be challenging."

"We had an innocent victim,'' he said, "and we had hoped to get justice and closure for her."

Whitehead's attorney, John Robbins, said he appreciates the jury's effort and attention to the evidence in the case. "Mr. Whitehead had to pit his word against the word of a 61-year-old-grandmother. My client maintained since day one that the allegations were not true,'' he said. "This case is a good example that our criminal justice system does work."

"My client wishes to express his thanks to the jury and to the court for the courtesy that was extended to him. He also wants to thank his family and friends for their support in this matter,'' Robbins said. "Mr. Whitehead does not, as a good Christian man, hold any ill feelings towards his accuser, nor towards the prosecutors and law enforcement. My client wants to move forward with his life and put this case in the rear view mirror."

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