MINNEAPOLIS - A former hair stylist at a downtown Minneapolis salon has been charged after his client told police she was groped during her haircut.
According to the criminal complaint, 30-year-old Vincent Sechi, of Bloomington, allegedly groped a woman during her visit to the Juut Salon on Nicollet Mall in downtown Minneapolis on Feb. 27.
The woman told authorities that during her haircut, Sechi instructed her to change into a robe, then began massaging her head and neck. She said he then reached under her robe and began massaging her breasts.
The charges state Sechi told the woman that American women would not like that but since she is French, it was fine.
After the massage, Sechi began cutting the woman's hair but when pieces of her hair would fall into her robe, he would brush the hair further down the woman's chest, sometimes reaching into her bra, charges state.
The victim said during the haircut, Sechi reached into her robe, put his hand inside her bra and squeezed her breast, stating his action was a "nice tip."
Sechi has been charged with fifth-degree criminal sexual conduct. In an statement to police, he admitted he "definitely overstepped."
Juut Salon said Sechi was terminated from the company.
In a statement, they said: "The information provided to Juut by the police is very troubling. Immediately after speaking with the police, we interviewed the employee and promptly terminated his employment. Juut is committed to providing its guests with the ultimate professional beauty services and a first-in-class experience in our salons. The conduct detailed by the police is abhorrent and completely unacceptable. This is why we acted swiftly to remove the employee both from the premises and from our company. We attempted to reach out directly to our guest to apologize, as we will never compromise carrying out our mission to all of our guests."
A warrant has been requested, due to his ties to a foreign country. His name and photo were not listed under Juut's team of stylists on its website.
