Spa owner hit with $14,000 in fines

Mike Boyle of Sisters has been hit with significant fines by the Oregon Board of Massage Therapists (OBMT). Boyle is facing civil and criminal charges in association with alleged actions committed at Hop in the Spa in Sisters.

Jeff Van Laanen, compliance and licensing manager for OBMT, told The Nugget last week that the board met in executive session on January 31, and elected to charge Boyle with 13 violations of ORS 687.021 (1) (a) (practicing massage without a license); and one violation of ORS 687.021 (1) (c) (improperly advertising that the person engages in the practice of massage). The violations carry a total of $14,000 in civil penalties.

Boyle is expected to enter a plea on multiple criminal charges on February 17.

On September 7, the grand jury indicted Boyle for the following crimes:

•?13 counts of practice of massage without a license;

•?two counts of sexual abuse in the first degree (Class B felony);

•?five counts of sexual abuse in the third degree (Class A misdemeanor);

•?one count of assault in the fourth degree (Class A misdemeanor).

There is a total of 11 victims, all of whom were allegedly victimized

while patronizing Hop in

the Spa, according to District Attorney John Hummel.

The site of Hop in the Spa on Cascade Avenue has been cleaned out

and the business appears to no longer be functioning. Hop in the Spa was portrayed as “America’s first beer spa.”

Author Bio

Jim Cornelius, Editor in Chief

Jim Cornelius is editor in chief of The Nugget and author of “Warriors of the Wildlands: True Tales of the Frontier Partisans.” A history buff, he explores frontier history across three centuries and several continents on his podcast, The Frontier Partisans. For more information visit www.frontierpartisans.com.

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