Douglas County Sheriff’s Office
Audio By Carbonatix
A Highlands Ranch massage therapist and former high school wrestling coach is going to jail for touching a client inappropriately during a massage.
Michael Dillon Duran, 32, was sentenced to 45 days in jail on Thursday, February 19, after being convicted of one count of unlawful sexual contact. He was found not guilty of a second count of unlawful sexual contact stemming from a different client.
In addition to his jail time, Duran received 24 months of probation and mandatory sex offender treatment. He will be allowed out of custody for work release during his sentence.
“The actions in this case warrant a jail sentence,” Douglas County Court Judge Kolony Fields said on Thursday, addressing Duran. “While you’ve said you have empathy and you have remorse, I haven’t really seen it. …You still seem to be of the mindset that you didn’t do anything wrong. That is extremely troubling.”
Duran worked at Olive Juice Beauty Bar in Highlands Ranch when he committed the unlawful sexual contact, according to his suspension order from the Colorado Office of Massage Therapy Licensure. One female client reported Duran for massaging her breasts, touching her nipple and possibly exposing her genitals. A second woman accused Duran of touching her breasts, gluteal crease and the outside of her vagina, in addition to exposing one of her breasts.
“[Duran] admitted to massaging [the first] client’s breast with sexual intent,” the order reads. It adds that he “admitted to massaging [the second] client’s breast tissue and that he failed to drape her breast properly causing it to be exposed.”
Both clients addressed the court at senencing.
“Mr. Duran knew exactly what he was doing. He was not confused; he was instead calculated with his actions,” the 22-year-old victim said. “He dragged us through this trial on purpose, not only to intimidate us, but also to continue to prey upon us. …[The trauma] has fundamentally changed how I move throughout the world.”
The client whose case was acquitted added, “What happened to me was real. It was invasive. And it was deeply violating. …It will continue to affect me every day.”
Duran, who now works in construction, said he intends to appeal the ruling.
The state temporarily suspended Duran’s massage license on April 2 pending an investigation.
“Ongoing proceedings will determine whether his license to practice massage therapy should be further disciplined,” Lee Rasizer, spokesperson for the Colorado Division of Professions and Occupations, said in a statement.
For massage therapists convicted of unlawful sexual behavior, state law permits disciplinary action that includes revoking, suspending, placing on probation, or refusing to renew the offender’s massage license.
The disciplinary actions are not permanent, however, unless the offender voluntarily agrees to permanently surrender their license, according to Rasizer. If Duran’s license is revoked, he would be eligible to reapply for a new one after two years.
The sexual contact committed by Duran was not consensual, though state law also prohibits the massage of “intimate parts” in any circumstance, including the breasts, buttocks or external genitalia.
“Massage therapists are prohibited from touching intimate parts of a client, regardless of consent,” Rasizer said. “If a client feels uncomfortable during a massage therapy session, they should trust their instincts, say something and terminate the session. They may then talk to a facility manager or report the incident by filing a complaint online.”
Duran was arrested by the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office on December 28, 2024. He had only been a licensed massage therapist in Colorado for three months at the time of his arrest, according to state licensing records. Duran is originally from Texas.
At the time of his arrest, Duran was also employed as an assistant wrestling coach at Valor Christian High School, a private Christian school in Highlands Ranch. He resigned from his coaching position the day after the school put him on administrative leave, says Head of School Bryan Ritz.
“We were informed through local law enforcement and the flag notification system that an employee was accused of improper behavior,” Ritz wrote in an email to the Valor community in April. “The incident occurred entirely off campus and did not involve any Valor students or staff members. We followed the protocol…and immediately placed this person on administrative leave. The following day this person resigned.”
Ritz said the school conducted a “thorough” investigation into the situation, “and we have no reason to believe that any students were placed at risk.”
