BRECKENRIDGE — A Breckenridge massage therapist accused of sexual assault attended court for a pretrial conference Thursday, but problems with translation delayed a hearing until the day the trial begins.

Wang Kho, a Tibetan refugee whose primary language is an Amdo dialect, is accused of a felony and two misdemeanors stemming from a Dec. 5 incident with an 18-year-old client. He was 29 at the time.

Bruce Brown, Kho's attorney, moved to have a witness excluded from the trial as part of other pretrial motions addressed earlier this month.

Jean McAllister, an expert witness on sexual assaults and the behavior of people involved in such incidents, was available to testify at Thursday's hearing. But the interpreter from a previous hearing was unavailable, and the one on hand was unable to properly translate the legal discussions.

The trial is scheduled from Aug. 16-25. The hearing on Brown's motion is set for Aug. 16 at about 9:30 a.m. Special questionnaires are being prepared for potential jurors, in part because of the case's publicity.

Kho is accused of felony sexual assault and misdemeanor counts of indecent exposure and unlawful sexual contact. The alleged victim told the police that, during a Swedish massage he fondled her and tried to initiate sexual intercourse, according to previous reports.

Kho has pleaded not guilty and rejected a plea agreement for misdemeanor sexual assault.

In a separate, civil case, the Colorado Office of Administrative Courts revoked Kho's license to practice massage therapy earlier this month. Breckenridge attorney Sean McAllister, who represents Kho in this case, said the decision is under appeal.

He said the civil court has a “much lower” standard for evidence than a criminal court, and a decision on the appeal is expected some time after the criminal court trial has ended.

SDN reporter Robert Allen can be contacted at (970) 668-4628 or rallen@summitdaily.com.