State Secretary of Health formally revokes licenses of massage therapist convicted in 2023 for sexually assaulting female clients in Chehalis - Centra

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By Emily Fitzgerald /emily@chronline.com

The Washington state Secretary of Health has formally revoked the massage therapist and certified nursing assistant licenses of a former Chehalis massage therapist convicted in September 2023 for sexually assaulting female massage clients.

Michael Frietze, 47, was arrested on June 27, 2023, for sexually assaulting three separate female patients: one on or about June 23, 2023; one on or about April 11, 2023; and one between May and June of 2022.

He pleaded guilty Sept. 1, 2023, to one count of indecent liberties without forcible compulsion stemming from the June 2023 incident; one count of second-degree rape without forcible compulsion stemming from the April 2023 incident, and one count of second-degree rape without forcible compulsion stemming from the 2022 incident.

He was sentenced Oct. 16, 2023, to 170 months to life in prison, meaning he can only apply for release after the initial 170 months are up.

The state massage therapist and nursing assistant programs brought the matter to the state Department of Health in December 2023, accusing him of unprofessional conduct, sexual misconduct and violation of draping policy, according to public case records. Frietze was given until April 2024 to reply, which he neglected to do, according to case records. A health law judge ruled to revoke Frietze’s licenses, without the opportunity for Frietze to reapply, on July 25, 2024.

Frietze’s certified nursing assistant license was first issued in February 2017, and his massage therapist license was first issued in November 2020, according to state records.

As part of his conviction, Frietze will remain on probation for the rest of his life if released and is required to register as a sex offender upon his release.

As part of the guilty plea, three counts of indecent liberties without forcible compulsion, stemming from three separate incidents between June 2022 and June 2023 involving three separate female victims, were dismissed, according to previous Chronicle reporting.

The plea also counts as a “global resolution” to the case, and, by agreeing to accept the plea, “the state agrees they shall not and will not prosecute the defendant for any crimes committed prior to the date of sentencing that were committed during the course of medical treatment, to include massage/massage therapy, he performed on any victims presently known or unknown,” according to court documents.

The clause includes an exception for crimes involving “forcible compulsion” or crimes “where the victim was under the age of 18 at the time of the offense.”

The Chehalis Police Department opened an investigation into Frietze after a victim reported a possible assault at a business in the 2500 block of Northwest Kresky Avenue at 10:52 a.m. on June 23, 2023, according to previous Chronicle reporting.

The victim told law enforcement she had received multiple massages from Frietze in the past without incident, but alleged that during a scheduled massage on June 23, Frietze reached beneath the sheet multiple times and touched her inappropriately. The victim “stopped the massage by telling (Frietze) the massage needed to be done, and left,” according to an affidavit of probable cause filed in Lewis County Superior Court on Wednesday, June 28, 2023.

Between that first report on June 23 and when detectives referred the case to local prosecutors on June 27, a total of six victims came forward to report incidents of sexual abuse by Frietze, according to the affidavit.

A Lewis County Superior Court judge approved sexual assault protection orders for 17 separate victims when Frietze entered his guilty plea on Sept. 1, 2023. Those orders do not expire.

The legal documents on the state Department of Health’s case can be seen online by clicking the link on provider credential search on the state Department of Health’s website at https://doh.wa.gov/. Copies can be requested by calling 360-236-4700.

The state Department of Health encourages anyone who believes a health care provider acted unprofessionally is encouraged to call this number and report their complaint.