It seemed like a good opportunity for Michelle Lawrence to have a guaranteed job as she settled in Salt Lake City after moving from Vernal.
It sounded simple enough: If she paid E. Ozwald Balfour, owner of Media and Entertainment Studio, $6,000 for a six-month movie-production course, he would hire her once she completed the course. Balfour is also the chairman of the Utah Republican Black Assembly and host of "Talk of the Town," a weekly current affairs radio show that aired on Salt Lake radio station KTKK.
"He seemed really nice," she said.
Balfour's office was decorated with certificates and what appeared to be business licenses.
She passed the Jan. 21 interview with flying colors and was in the studio's waiting room while friend Rachel Olson went in for an interview, she said.
After a few minutes, Olson left Balfour's office looking white as a ghost, Lawrence said. Olson walked right past her and out the building's door. That's when Lawrence was called into the office.
She says Balfour shut the office door and began groping her.
"Take me. You know you want me," she says Balfour told her. "You have two minutes to take me."
She said she told him no and pounded on the door until Balfour released her. She and Olson met up in the car in the parking lot.
Olson asked what happened, and the two of them decided to contact police, who arrested Balfour at the 340 Whitney Ave. studio last week.
Balfour, 50, was booked into the Salt Lake County Jail on $50,000 bail, charged in 3rd District Court Tuesday with two counts of forcible sex abuse, which are second-degree felonies. They could land him one to 15 years in prison and a $5,000 fine.
The studio seemed legit to Lawrence, she said. Salt Lake City police detective Dwayne Baird concurs. He said the studio sports cameras, sound equipment, lights and other elements that appear to be used in movie production.
"Justice needs to take care of him," Lawrence said.
Baird said about a dozen women have come forward with complaints about Balfour. Some of the complaints go back years.
But one complaint from a woman who met Balfour the same day as Lawrence and Olson is included in court documents.
The woman said she was shopping at Wal-Mart near the studio, when Balfour approached her and asked if she wanted to be in a children's movie he was producing. He invited her to the studio, and once inside, he grabbed her hips and tried to lift up her shirt, documents state. She was able to leave the studio.
Balfour is charged in that incident with third-degree-felony attempted forcible sexual abuse. Police were still sorting out details from complaints they received over past days.
Baird said some of the complaints involve Balfour's claims to teach classes on photography, media relations and movie production and his failure to deliver the classes after taking prospective students' money. He may have gone on vacation with that money, Baird said.
Those cases have been turned over to the Division of Occupation and Professional Licensing for investigation.
Balfour's radio show has been pulled off the air, said Jim Sumpter, the station's general manager.
Balfour helped found the Utah Republican Black Assembly in 2003. Though the group was not officially recognized by the party for much of that year, it gained status after another prominent Republican, Salt Lake County Sheriff Aaron Kennard, voiced his support.
Contributing: Associated Press
E-mail: jdougherty@desnews.com
POLICE/COURTS