Michael Jolly, 55, has been charged with sexual assault in connection to several complaints from massage clients.
Image Credit: A & M HOLLISTIC WELLNESS
December 15, 2017 - 8:00 PM
KAMLOOPS - Four different women have accused a Merritt massage clinic owner of sexual assault during massages, and RCMP want to speak to any other victims there may be.
Michael Albert Jolly, 55, owns and operates A&M Holistic Wellness with his wife, according to the company's website, which states the couple moved to Merritt from the Lower Mainland at least seven years ago.
"I have been working in the realm of alternative health since 1984 when I began as a massage therapist, achieving my Certified Massage Therapist designation long before the... RMT program was created in 1998," the website says. "I combine old world treatments with modern techniques through a variety of healing modalities to address the holistic needs of each client at each visit."
It also says clients often tell him he's a "miracle healer".
But he's not actually a registered massage therapist, according to the College of Massage Therapists CEO and registrar Eric Wredenhagen.
"Michael Jolly has never been a registered massage therapist with the college," Wredenhagen says.
Wredenhagen explains that new regulations came into place in 2015 which allows people to massage for money, but they cannot refer to themselves as certain titles, like registered massage therapist, unless they are registered with the college.
The only way to know if your massage therapist is registered with the college, Wredenhagen says, is by searching their name on the public database.
No one from A&M Holistic Wellness answered the company's phone number when iNFOnews.ca called, but the voicemail indicated it was operated by Jolly.
The company's Facebook page appears to have been taken down since yesterday, Dec. 14, when the RCMP released information about Jolly's charges.
According to court documents, Jolly is facing four charges of sexual assault involving four different women over September and October of 2017. No details about the alleged offences have been made public, and nothing has been proven in a court of law.
The Merritt Herald reported in 2014 that Jolly ran for mayor of the town.
Merritt RCMP said in the news release yesterday that other victims could be out there.
Police began their investigation into allegations against Jolly in October after multiple allegations from massage clients. A publication ban has been put in place to protect the identity of the complainants in the case.
Jolly has no known criminal history in B.C. although he has appeared in small claims and divorce court.
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