Man accused of ordering masseuse to undress at gunpoint is arrested

A man who police say held his masseuse at gunpoint and tried to make her take her clothes off, was arrested Friday.

A man who police say held his masseuse at gunpoint and tried to make her take her clothes off, was arrested Friday. (Viorel Margineanu, Shutterstock)


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WEST VALLEY CITY — A man who police say ordered his masseuse to undress at gunpoint, allegedly so he could sexually assault her, was arrested over the weekend.

Jeffrey Gerald Kirby, 32, was booked into the Salt Lake County Jail for investigation of aggravated sexual assault, aggravated kidnapping in the course of unlawfully detaining someone, aggravated assault, possessing someone else's bank card, theft, and possession of drug paraphernalia.

On Friday, Kirby went to Nice Massage, 3550 S. 4800 West. A woman told police that after giving him time to prepare in the massage room, she began giving Kirby his massage. But about 10 minutes into the session he told her to take her clothes off, according to a police booking affidavit.

The woman told Kirby "no," and "he pulled out a black handgun from (under) a towel on the massage table," the affidavit states. Under the towel next to the gun, Kirby also had a condom and a mask, police stated.

"(The woman) said she asked the male multiple times to put the gun down as she was scared. The male told her to be quiet or he would shoot her. (The woman) said the male said this six or seven times while pointing the gun at her," according to the affidavit.

When Kirby eventually put the gun down, the woman made a run for the door. Following a brief struggle, the woman was able to get out the door, the affidavit states. After calling 911, the woman saw Kirby exit the back of the building and get into a car. She took a picture of him and the license plate of his car and gave it to police.

West Valley police identified Kirby as a possible suspect and tracked him to his home. A SWAT team was called to search the Kearns residence and take Kirby into custody, the affidavit states.

A handgun, ammunition, and condoms were recovered from the house, according to police, as well as a credit card belonging to the masseuse.

Based on the items Kirby had hidden under a towel on the massage table, and because he parked far from the business, detectives believe Kirby "had intended to sexually assault or rape" the woman, according to the affidavit.

Police say Kirby's criminal history includes arrests in California for investigation of prostitution and threatening to shoot a woman.

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Pat Reavy, KSLPat Reavy
Pat Reavy interned with KSL in 1989 and has been a full-time journalist for either KSL or Deseret News since 1991. For the past 25 years, he has worked primarily the cops and courts beat.
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