A 31-year-old massage therapist has been acquitted of molesting a client at an Edina studio nearly a year ago.
A jury in Hennepin County District Court found Corbin M. Braunheim of St. Paul not guilty last week of fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct in connection with a July 24 session with a woman at the Elements Therapeutic Massage franchise in the Yorktown shopping plaza.
Jury selection began on June 7, and the verdict in the felony trial was returned on Friday.
Defense attorney Josh Johnson said Thursday that his client testified, as did the woman, and "he was very credible. … There wasn't one piece of evidence that would have corroborated her statement, even in a small way."
A statement from the County Attorney's Office read, "While we feel we presented sufficient evidence to prove the defendant's guilt beyond a reasonable doubt, we nevertheless respect the jury's verdict and will accept it."
The woman reported to police that Braunheim touched her sexually three times over the course of the session, according to the criminal complaint.
The studio's owner said Braunheim was indefinitely suspended in November upon learning of the allegations. Given the acquittal, there is no immediate word on whether he will be allowed to return to his job there.
Johnson said Braunheim is working elsewhere and "hasn't been able to go back to being a massage therapist."
