Jury finds sex offender not guilty in attempted rape of Lakewood foot masseuse

A convicted sex offender is not guilty of trying to rape a masseuse at a Lakewood foot massage parlor, a jury has decided.

Samuel Sparks, 31, was charged with attempted second-degree rape, first-degree kidnapping and attempted indecent liberties after an incident Oct. 31, 2014, at Imperial Foot Massage, 9205 South Tacoma Way.

Pierce County prosecutors alleged Smith tried to force himself on the masseuse while she worked by herself, and that she got away and called her boss, who helped her contact police.

Sparks’s public defender argued that Sparks had visited the business once before, and that the same masseuse had that time accepted a tip for a sexual favor.

When Sparks returned Oct. 31 and asked for the same, he believed the woman was indicating to him that the price was higher, the attorney contended.

When she left the room he grabbed her to try to get his money back, the defense argued.

The masseuse denied Sparks’s account on the stand. She said he pushed her down against the massage table, she got away and ran out of the room and he chased naked after her and pulled her back inside.

Once back in the room, the woman testified, nothing else happened, and she went to call her boss. Sparks left while she was on the phone, she said.

The jury returned its not guilty verdict Friday.

Sparks’s previous convictions include kidnapping with sexual motivation, indecent liberties and indecent exposure.

After serving time in prison, he was sent to the Special Commitment Center on McNeil Island for five years. The SCC houses sexually violent predators the state has deemed likely to reoffend.

This story was originally published January 26, 2016 at 6:13 PM with the headline "Jury finds sex offender not guilty in attempted rape of Lakewood foot masseuse."