DAVIS—Davis Police say a man suspected of sexual assault in Davis has now been arrested in Colorado for a similar offense in that state.
According to Davis police, last July a woman was contacted online by a man, Robert Richard Beattie Smith, 27, who said he was in the process of becoming a licensed massage therapist and needed work hours to be able to graduate. The suspect offered to pay the victim as well as provide a massage.
Davis Police released this image of Smith.
Smith introduced himself as Richard when let into the victim’s home. During the course of the massage, he sexually assaulted the woman. He ran away from the home but the victim was able to get part of his license plate number. The partial plate helped police identify the suspect but police could not find him and issued an arrest warrant.
On Sunday, January 11, 2015, the Davis Police Department was contacted by the Aurora Police Department in Colorado regarding Smith, saying he committed a similar crime by posing as a massage therapist and assaulting a 15-year-old girl.
“The suspect did, in fact, come to the victims’ home and began massaging the 15-year-old. As the massage session progressed, the suspect sexually assaulted her. Due to the mental trauma caused by the suspect’s actions the victim did not say anything in protest,” the Aurora Police Department said in a released statement.
Following the sexual assault of the 15-year-old the suspect, Smith provided her 21-year-old sister with a massage. He touched her in sexually inappropriate ways, at which time she protested and brought the massage session to an end, police said. Aurora police were able to identify the suspect and lured him into arrest after reaching him on the phone.
Davis Police believe Smith could have more victims in the greater Sacramento area, and anybody who may have been assaulted or harmed by Smith in any way is asked to call them at (530) 747-5400.
