HOMEWOOD, Ala. — A former massage therapist at a Homewood day spa has been arrested and charged with two counts of first-degree sexual abuse after two women separately reported inappropriate sexual contact during massage appointments, police said.
Matthew Owen Jones, 44, of Sterrett, was arrested by the Homewood Police Department and booked into the Jefferson County Jail on a $30,000 bond, according to a news release from the department.
Investigators said the case began after two women separately reported allegations of inappropriate sexual conduct during massage appointments at Escape Day Spa in the Edgewood area of Homewood. Detectives with the department’s Criminal Investigations Division conducted an investigation that led to Jones’ arrest, police said.
Police said the investigation remains active and declined to release additional details about the victims or the case. The department encouraged anyone who may have experienced similar conduct or who has information related to the investigation to contact its Criminal Investigations Division at 205-332-6217.
Jones has been charged, and the allegations against him have not been proven in court. Under the law, he is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
In a separate civil action, a lawsuit was filed June 14 in the Circuit Court of Jefferson County, Alabama, against Jones and Escape Day Spa on behalf of a survivor identified as “Alpha,” according to a news release from the law firm Singleton Schreiber.
The suit alleges that during a 90-minute relaxation massage on July 2, 2025, Jones subjected the plaintiff to repeated non-consensual sexual contact, including touching and fondling, that she did not consent to and could not physically resist, the release said.
The lawsuit, assigned case number 01-CV-2026-903067.00, also alleges that Jones’ massage license had expired in July 2025 but that he was still allowed to conduct massages at the spa, the release said.
Homewood police have commended the victims for coming forward and have encouraged anyone else who may have encountered similar conduct to contact investigators.