San Diego unlicensed massage therapist arrested on suspicion of sex crimes - The San Diego Union-Tribune

[Karen Kucher]

A 55-year-old man who claimed to be a licensed massage therapist is accused of inappropriately touching three women during massages at a Mira Mesa gym, and San Diego police are trying to determine if there are other victims.

Christopher Scott Preston pleaded not guilty in San Diego Superior Court to three counts of sexual battery and two other sex crimes Friday. Police said he assaulted the women, who found him through a Groupon coupon, in August 2023, December 2023 and April 2024.

Preston was arrested by U.S. Marshals last Wednesday afternoon on Genesee Avenue, near University City High School where he had been the coach of the freshman football team. On court documents, his name is also listed as Scott Christopher Preston. School officials said he was known there as Scott Preston. On Facebook, he goes by Chris Preston.

On Tuesday, after the school district received inquiries about Preston’s job status, the principal at University City High sent a letter to parents telling them of his arrest and informing them that Preston was no longer coaching the team.

“The employee has been placed on unpaid leave and is no longer associated with our school,” Principal Mike Paredes said in the email.

A school district spokesperson said Preston had been a walk-on coach at the school since October 2023. He did not have any other job history with the district, spokesperson Mike Murad said.

Police first began investigating Preston after a woman filed a report in August 2023 alleging he had sexually assaulted her during a massage. Two other victims came forward over the next eight months. Initially, the first two victims did not want to pursue criminal charges but decided to go forward after police talked with a third victim, police Lt. Dan Sayasane said.

Preston’s ties to the high school appeared to go largely unnoticed until yesterday.

Deputy District Attorney Zach Wallace said he was unaware that Preston was a high school coach when he was arraigned last week. None of the victims were students, he said.

After being arraigned on the charges, Preston was released on his own recognizance with conditions that he wear a GPS monitor, stay 100 yards away from his place of work, not perform any in-person professional services and have no contact with the victims, a District Attorney’s Office spokesperson said.

If Preston is convicted of all charges, he could face a maximum sentence of 11 years, the spokesperson said.

On Facebook, Chris Preston identified himself as the owner and CEO at 360 Wellness and Consulting LLC and said he worked at University City High. On Aug. 30, he posted a photo of a football scoreboard and commented “UC Claims Another Win Yesterday! Great job Freshmen!”

A San Diego police detective was aware of the social media posts in July, near the end of the investigation, but did not confirm he was a coach at the school, Sayasane said.

Police said Preston had claimed to be a licensed massage therapist and advertised on Groupon, offering “lymphatic drainage massages” for a discounted price. According to a Cedars-Sinai Medical Center blog, such massages target the lymphatic system, including the lymph nodes in the neck, groin and armpits. The goal is to gently massage areas of the body to help move lymph fluid to an area with working lymph vessels.

Police are looking for additional victims because of the Groupon advertising and because “he’s been in business for a length of time, so we want to see if there are any additional victims,” Sayasane said.

Anyone with information regarding this incident or the person involved is asked to call the San Diego Police Department Sex Crimes Unit at (619) 531-2210 or Crime Stoppers at (888) 580-8477.

Originally Published: September 17, 2024 at 6:04 p.m.