Denver hair stylist Ty Tomlinson, owner of Blanc salon in the Golden Triangle, was arrested Monday on charges of sexual assault and domestic violence. Police allege that the thirty-year-old physically abused a former employee on several occasions over the course of their one-year relationship. The charges also include an allegation of "unlawful sexual contact" against the female victim during an incident in January.
Blanc has been named a top salon in Denver for several years by readers of 5280, which has also dubbed Tomlinson a local "Beauty Guru" for his hair coloring skills. This summer, an online reality show followed Tomlinson and his stylists as they prepared models for fashion-forward events thrown by promoters such as Greg Bloom and Kevin Larsen. The salon, at 1133 Bannock Street, is listed as the location where many of the alleged assaults took place.
In March of last year, Tomlinson was arrested on similar charges of sexual assault, domestic violence and menacing with a deadly weapon. A source familiar with Blanc says the victim in that case was Tomlinson's previous girlfriend, who was also employed as the manager of the salon. Though a jury trial was scheduled, Tomlinson pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of misdemeanor assault and was released on probation. [See update below.] A statewide criminal records search shows that Tomlinson was arrested in Fort Collins for domestic violence in 1998. Two years later, he was charged by police in Westminster with harassment.
Tomlinson is currently in custody at Denver County Jail, with bond set at $90,000. A jury trial has been scheduled for October 28.
In the meantime, check out the video below to see Tomlinson the stylist in action.
UPDATE 9/9/09: Some corrections have been made to this blog, including fixing the "5820" typo and changing the word "rape" to the official charge of "unlawful sexual contact." For details, see "Salon owner Ty Tomlinson posts bail on assault and sexual contact charges."
