MIAMI — A 33-year-old therapist who works at a mental health and substance abuse treatment facility in Miami was arrested at his job Tuesday on accusations that he sexually assaulted at least three of his patients over a six month period, the City of Miami Police Department announced in a news release.
According to police, the assaults happened at a treatment facility in the 100 block of Northeast 49th Street.
An arrest report for Manuel Enrique Garcia alleges that one of the victims – a woman in her 40s – reported that Garcia raped her and threatened the victim with job loss and homelessness if she reported the encounter.
Noon report:
According to the report, the victim said the incident occurred during a one-on-one session between February and March in which Garcia began caressing her hair and asked the woman if she liked him.
Police said the woman got nervous and said “yes.”
Garcia then raped the victim, the report stated.
Police said a second victim – a woman in her mid-20s – reported a similar encounter with the therapist, saying he coerced her into performing oral sex on him.
According to the report, Garcia asked the victim if she needed anything from her personal storage, which was located in his office and then pulled her into his office, kissing her and touching her breast underneath her clothing.
Police said Garcia then pulled out his penis and had her perform oral sex on him.
According to the report, the victim feared that if she did not comply with Garcia he would provide negative documentation in her therapy notes, which could jeopardize her reunification with her child.
Authorities also confirmed that one of the charges stems from a separate Jan. 1 incident involving a third victim.
According to a second arrest report obtained by Local 10 News, the victim told investigators that she had been under Garcia’s care at the Concept House, located at 162 NE 49th St., for about three months.
She said Garcia reassigned himself as her therapist and began holding one-on-one therapy sessions behind closed doors, which he locked — something her previous therapist did not do, the report stated.
The victim, whose age was not released in the report, said Garcia allowed her to vape and gave her lollipops during sessions, both against the rules of the facility, according to the report.
She told police he kissed and groped her as she was leaving the room. During another session, he allegedly exposed himself, grabbed her hair and said, “Do you like it?“ before coercing her to perform oral sex on him, according to investigators.
Authorities said she later told a friend at the facility what had happened. They said that friend confirmed parts of the story to police.
They said the third victim identified Garcia in a photograph and signed the image as part of the investigation.
According to the report, Garcia provided a statement to detectives, though it was redacted from the public record. During the interview, he requested a lawyer.
Garcia was arrested Tuesday by MPD’s Felony Apprehension Team.
Jail records show he is facing four counts of psychotherapist engaging in sex with a client.
According to the report, Garcia provided a statement to detectives, however his statement was redacted from the publicly released report.
Police confirmed that during the interview with detectives, Garcia eventually requested an attorney.
Garcia appeared in bond court Wednesday, where he was ordered held on a $30,000 bond. He told the judge he only has $2,000 in his bank account.
6 a.m. Thursday report
If he is eventually able to post bond, Garcia is not permitted to have any contact with the victims and will not be permitted to work as a therapist while the cases against him are pending.
As of Wednesday afternoon, he was being held at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center.
Detectives believe there may be additional victims out there and encourage anyone with further information or who have had similar experiences with Garcia to come forward by calling the Miami Police Special Victims Unit at 305-603-6300 or 305-579-6111.
“The safety and well-being of all patients is our utmost priority, and we are committed to ensuring justice for the victims involved,” MPD said in a news release.
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