Massage therapist charged with sexual assault in Mira Mesa - ABC 10 News San Diego KGTV

[Rachel Bianco, City News Service]

SAN DIEGO (KGTV/CNS) — A 55-year-old man was arrested and charged on suspicion of sexually assaulting several women in Mira Mesa after he posed as a licensed massage therapist, the San Diego Police Department said Tuesday.

Christopher Scott Preston allegedly ran a business named 360 Wellness and Consulting, according to a SDPD statement.

The San Diego Unified School District confirmed to ABC 10News that Preston worked as a seasonal coach.

Our newsroom obtained court documents laying out the allegations against Preston in graphic detail.

Police say he used Groupon to advertise for a discounted lymphatic drainage massage. That's a type of massage that uses light pressure to move the lymphatic system. According to investigators, the first accuser met Preston here in Aug. 2023. The complaint says he claimed to be a licensed massage therapist.

The woman says it was during the third visit that he sexually assaulted her. According to the documents, Preston texted the woman later to see how she was doing.

She responded that she was shocked when he touched her private area. The documents claim Preston responded "No worries, I understand. I wasn't trying to do anything to offend you."

Another woman came forward in December of that year and most recently this past April. They all told police Preston sexually assaulted them. The court documents reveal that Preston used a fake massage therpaist license number on his Groupon advertisement.

10News went to Preston's Clairemont area home, but his roommate told us he hasn't stayed there for days. Police say they're concerned there could be more victims.

"Simply because he's operated this type of business since 2018 and he advertised on Groupon," SDPD says.

10News also learned that Preston worked at University City High School as a walk-on football coach. The district says he went by the name Scott Preston. The principal sent out the following email to families Tuesday afternoon:

Dear UC High Families: At UC High, our first priority is to provide your students with a safe and secure learning environment. We also believe in communicating openly with our students and parents about incidents that affect our campus.

Following an investigation, police arrested one of our seasonal, non-certificated staff members on September 11. The arrest was unrelated to our school. The employee has been placed on unpaid leave and is no longer associated with our school. For a variety of reasons, including state and federal laws regarding employee privacy, we are not able to release further information about the employee or the investigation.

Please rest assured that we are doing everything possible to continue our focus on your child’s education while supporting them as they deal with this incident.

Police are seeking witnesses and possible victims, who are asked to call the SDPD Sex Crimes Unit at 619-531-2210 or Crime Stoppers at 888-580- 8477.

City News Service contributed to this report.