Bail set at $3 million for attorney accused of massage parlor rapes
Sep 26, 2012, 5:38 AM | Updated: Sep 27, 2012, 9:52 am
Bail has been set at $3 million for a man suspected in the sexual assaults of multiple women at massage parlors in Seattle and Bellevue.
Formal charges are expected Thursday against Danford Grant, a high-profile Seattle Attorney who is accused of raping at least three women over the past month.
His attorney, David Allen says it’s all a misunderstanding. He claims the married, father of three was trying to protect himself.
“We believe that Dan is bailable and should have been bailed out. We also believe very strongly in the presumption in innocence,” says Allen. “There’s no evidence against him at this point. And we’re ready to proceed through the system.”
Grant, 47, is a partner at the law firm Bailey Grant Onsager and has handled appeals for the Washington Court of Appeals, the Washington Supreme Court, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, according to his personal website. He has also worked for the Seattle City Attorney’s Office.
Seattle Police arrested Grant Monday night after he allegedly raped a female employee at Carnation Massage Clinic on NW 85th Street for the second time in less than a week.
According to probable cause documents released by the King County Prosecutor’s Office, Grant entered the parlor on Sept. 19 and paid for a massage. Once in a private room, he raped the woman at knife point.
Four days later, on Sept. 24, Grant returned to the massage parlor and paid for service. Once alone, police say Grant sexually assaulted the same woman for a second time. The owner of the parlor and several other employees attempted to detain Grant, but he slipped away, according to the court documents.
Police located Grant a short distance away. He was placed under arrest after witnesses identified him as the man who had been at the parlor.
Prosecutors also suspect Grant in the rape of a former Carnation Massage employee who currently works out of her home. Bellevue police believe he is responsible for the rape of a massage parlor employee in their jurisdiction.
In seeking a high bail amount, prosecutors told a judge Wednesday that Grant had gathered personal information about his victims, including their home addresses.
