SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) – The former Sioux Falls massage therapist, who is accused of touching several of his clients inappropriately, wants the charges against him dropped.
Kurt Smit’s attorney was back in court today to plead his client’s case, but so were two of his alleged victims who got to testify and didn’t hold back.
The woman, who we called Kylie in our KELOLAND News Investigation back in January, told the court today that Kurt Smit touched her inappropriately multiples times during a massage last year.
Don Jorgensen: A lot of what was said in there with your testimony sounded very familiar to me, what you told us during our interview, would you agree with that?
Kylie: Yes, yep,
Don Jorgensen: You think you’ve been very consistent the whole time.
Kylie: definitely.
In court papers, ‘Kylie’ says Kurt Smit used his bare hand to grab her breasts and started “groping” her.
Since ‘Kylie’s’ story aired, three more people have come forward accusing Smit of similar actions while they were being massaged by him.
This woman, who we will call Debbie, says Smit cupped her breasts underneath and on the sides when he massaged her last April.
She says she didn’t tell him to stop, because she didn’t know what to say.
Don Jorgensen: But you did tell him to stop at one point.
Debbie: I did,
Don Jorgensen: When?
Debbie: When he was working his hands up my thighs, my inner thigh toward my private area.
Don Jorgensen: You said he got too close.
Debbie: He got too close.
Don Jorgensen: And that made you uncomfortable?
Debbie: Very uncomfortable.
Neither woman reported the incident right away.
Smit’s attorney, Clint Sargent under cross examination referred to a police report where Kylie admitted to having anxiety, depression, and that she tends to overthink things. Sargent asked if that played a role in this incident, Kylie said ‘absolutely not.’
That infuriated ‘Kylie’
“Just the way it seem that it was my fault for not saying something was maddening in itself,” Kylie said.
Debbie didn’t report her incident until months later, when KELOLAND Investigates first talked with Kylie back in January.
“I saw the other story and I don’t want this to happen anybody else, I wanted to make it known that this is not okay and if there are other people that have experienced this they need to say something,” Debbie said.
Following the hearing, KELOLAND Investigates asked Smit’s attorney for an interview, but he declined.
Since the charge is not a felony, Smit does not have to appear at hearings.
The prosecution has two more witnesses to testify, but that won’t happen for a few weeks.
