Charlestown couple ran unlicensed massage parlor with hidden camera, police say

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — An investigation in southern Indiana focused on illegal massages has resulted in the arrest of a married couple.

Charlestown Police said the investigation into suspected criminal activity at a home on High Street started in January 2024, after a woman reported she had been to the home and observed what she believed to be a camera set up in a massage room.

In June, in a post on social media, the department asked anyone who may have visited the home for a massage from a woman to contact them.

An updated post dated Aug. 23 on the Charlestown Police Department's Facebook page announced the arrest of the married couple who live at the home: 54-year-old Bernard Allen Vlach and his wife, 51-year-old Cynthia Lynn Vlach.

The arrests on Aug. 22 came after police executed a search warrant at the home in the 800 block High Street. During the search officers confiscated several items, including the couple's mobiles phones. Detectives applied for warrants to forensically examine both devices.

Detectives then received the results of the forensic examinations from their federal partners. According to the Facebook post, those results included "a multitude of videos/images from inside the massage room, of individuals receiving massages. In addition, in many of the videos/images individual were nude. Many of the videos/images observed depicted Cynthia engaging in sexual activity with individuals."

After issuing the request for individuals to come forward in June, detectives were able to identify two women who received massages at the home. Those women had been recorded nude in the massage room without their knowledge or consent.

Detectives also said they found evidence that Cynthia has received compensation in exchange for providing massages that included sexual activity. They also learned that Cynthia was not licensed under Indiana Law to charge a fee or receive compensation for providing massage services or referring to herself as a "massage therapist."

Detectives are still trying to make contact with anyone else who may have visited the home for a massage. Police said many of those individuals may have been recorded without their knowledge or consent.

If you were at the home and received a massage, contact Det. Jason Broady at (812) 256-6345, ext. 105 or send an email to jbroady@ctownpd.com.

Bernard and Cynthia Vlach are both charged with two felony counts of voyeurism. Cynthia is also charged with prostitution and engaging in massage therapy without a license.

Their next court appearance is scheduled for Sept. 23.

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