Mesa dad confronts nail tech accused of being inappropriate with daughter

By Emma Lockhart

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    MESA, Arizona (KTVK, KPHO) — Video shows a Mesa father confronting a nail tech at Happy Feet Nails and Spa after he said the man was inappropriate with his teen daughter.

Chad Howie says his two daughters went to the nail salon on Power and McDowell Roads on Oct. 14. According to Howie, nail tech “Jacky” Thaun Tran started talking to one of his 16-year-old daughters about psychics and spirits he said were following him. “He said in order to get rid of these spirits, he needed to wear a pair of underwear on his head from a young, pure virgin and it was difficult to find virgins these days,” said Howie. “After saying that, my daughter clammed up and said she immediately went stiff. She said it was almost out of body.”

Howie confronted Tran the next day and recorded the interaction on his phone. In 2019, Tran was accused of groping a minor at Aria Nail Bar in Scottsdale.

According to the Arizona State Board of Cosmetology complaint, Tran massaged the girl’s lower leg during a manicure and was “moving up to her thigh and groin area.” The Arizona State Board of Cosmetology suspended his license following that reported incident and confirmed it is still suspended at this time.

The owner of Happy Feet Nails and Spa said they were unaware that Tran’s license was suspended and confirmed that he no longer works at the salon. “That sent me over the edge, I could not believe that he was practicing at a nail salon and was working without a license,” said Howie.

Scottsdale Police investigated the 2019 incident, but no charges were filed because of a lack of evidence. The department said that Phoenix Police was also investigating Tran and “had different victims who did not know each other reporting similar criminal acts by Tran.” However, the status of that investigation is unclear. “A lot of the time, these predators hide in the darkness and don’t get exposed,” said Howie.

The Arizona State Board of Cosmetology said it is investigating the reported incident at Happy Feet. Howie said he filed a report with the Mesa Police Department.

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