KENT COUNTY, MI – A massage therapist has pleaded no contest to aggravated assault of a patient.

Dana Piper, 63, of Southfield, was originally charged with fourth-degree criminal-sexual conduct, a high-court misdemeanor punishable by up to two years in prison.

Piper faces up to one year in jail on the misdemeanor assault charge when sentenced in November by Kent County Circuit Judge Scott Noto.

In early 2024, Piper was working as a licensed massage therapist in Grand Rapids Township when a patient complained of being inappropriately touched during a trauma massage therapy session, according to the Kent County Sheriff’s Office.

Investigators determined he had unnecessarily removed sheets covering the patient.

Piper touched body parts inconsistent with therapy and recommended a “pelvic

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