Crime & Safety

Shoreline Massage Therapist Says Seattle Lawyer Broke Into Her Home, Raped Her

The woman previously worked at a massage clinic where Danford Grant is suspected of sexually assaulting another therapist.

A partner in a Seattle law firm is facing accusations of rape and burglary in an Aug. 19 incident at a Shoreline woman's home.

Seattle Police arrested Danford Grant, 47, on Monday in a separate incident at Carnation Massage Clinic in Ballard, where the Shoreline victim previously worked. He's suspected in three rapes in the Seattle area, and one of those women told Bellevue police that she knew of another victim from about two years ago who did not report the incident.

Grant, who is married, is being held in the King County Jail. Bail was set at $3 million Wednesday. The deadline for charges to be filed is Thursday.

Find out what's happening in Shoreline-Lake Forest Parkwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

In the Aug. 19 incident, Grant is accused of going to the Shoreline woman's house where she provides massage services, forcing his way inside and raping the 53-year-old woman, according to a probable cause statement by Seattle Police detectives.

The woman identified Grant in a photo montage provided by Seattle Police. Grant is known to go by different names such as "Dan, Hunter, and Bob."

Find out what's happening in Shoreline-Lake Forest Parkwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Grant arrived at the woman's house and called her number and at first asked to come in, but the woman told him to leave. He then forced open the door, breaking the chain lock, and grabbed the woman around the neck and covered her mouth so she could not scream, according to the detectives' report.

The woman said she could not breathe and thought she was going to die. Grant continued to say he just wanted a massage but the woman again told him to leave.

Grant then forced the victim to the back bedroom/massage room and ordered the woman to take off her clothes; she begged Grant to stop, but he raped her, the report said.

A Mandarin Chinese interpreter recommended by the King County Prosecutor's Office assisted detectives since the victim speaks Mandarin.

Grant has practiced law in the Seattle area for quite a while. He received his master of laws degree from the University of Washington in 1996 and focused on employment litigation in the Seattle City Attorney's Office from 1996 to 2000, according to his LinkedIn profile. Grant became one of the named shareholders of Bailey Grant Onsager earlier this year, according to the law firm's website.

Grant's focus is on employment and business litigation, including discrimination, business torts, noncompete agreements, and business ownership disputes.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

To request removal of your name from an arrest report, submit these required items to arrestreports@patch.com.

More from Shoreline-Lake Forest Park