BUCKS DA: Massage therapist convicted of sexually assaulting two clients at Falls Township...

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FALLS TOWNSHIP >> A Bucks County Jury convicted a massage therapist of sexual assault on April 21.

The Bucks County District Attorney’s Office said that David Elijah Ward, 37, was accused of massaging the vaginal areas of two women during separate appointments in July at the Hand and Stone Spa, 512 North Oxford Valley Road. He was charged in August with assaulting two victims during July appointments at the Hand and Stone Spa.

The first incident occurred on July 21, where a 26-year-old student had gone to redeem a gift certificate before leaving Pennsylvania to attend school. It was alleged that during the latter half of her massage that Ward slipped his hand under her underwear, and inappropriately touched and penetrated her vagina. He also inappropriately touched her breasts over a covering sheet.

The DA’s off said the she didn’t confront Ward because she was so shocked and confused. “I wanted to get out of there,” she testified. “I didn’t feel safe. I wanted to go home and take a shower.”

The second victim, a 52-year-old nurse, described a similar assault that occurred during a July 28 appointment. The DA’s office said that the woman said that when Ward began rubbing her genital area she began shifting her pelvis to move his hand. When asked by Ward if she was “uncomfortable,” she replied yes, and Ward apologized.

She too did not confront Ward stating that she was ““paralyzed by fear; scared to death” of what else Ward might do to her, the DA’s office said. She left a sizeable tip to avoid drawing attention to herself, the DA’s office said. She called Hand and Stone’s corporate office to report the assault. Ward was subsequently terminated. The DA’s office said that Police discovered the nurse’s complaint while investigating the first victim’s report, and she reluctantly cooperated with the criminal investigation.


Deputy District Attorney Kristin M. McElroy argued in court that the women’s reactions were not surprising, given that “they went in there (expecting) to receive a professional massage.” They were “in a complete state of shock and disbelief” when Ward touched their genital areas, she said.

“When you go in for a massage, there are certain areas of your body that you expect to be touched,” McElroy said. “Your vagina is not one of them.”

Ward was convicted on two misdemeanor counts of indecent assault, but acquitted on a felony count of aggravated indecent assault after a jury deliberated for more than three hours. As a result of the convictions Ward will no longer be able to work as a license massage therapist.

Sentencing was deferred until Ward can be evaluated by the Pennsylvania Sexual Offenders Assessment Board, which recommends whether a defendant should be considered a sexually violent predator, the DA’s office said. He is free on $200,000 bail, $20,000 cash and has surrendered his passport. Ward was ordered by a judge not to leave Pennsylvania.

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