Former Clayton hairdresser pleads guilty to sex charge

The former owner of a local hair salon was sentenced to one year in jail with six months to be served on home detention and five years probation after he pleaded guilty to felony sexual battery and sexual molestation of a child under 18 in Contra Costa Superior Court last month.

Jim Frazier, 45, former owner of Hair by Jim, was scheduled for trial on Feb. 24, but changed his plea prior to trial, said prosecutor Ava Guzman. He must register as a convicted sex offender.

Frazier was arrested in Aug. 2012 after his victim contacted police. His arrest surprised a community that knew him as an affable, civic-minded businessman.

Frazier opened Hair by Jim in 2003 in the small, red building at the corner of Main and Oak Streets. The building was destroyed by fire on Thanksgiving Day 2010. The following year, he re-opened in the adjacent building where he operated the salon until his arrest.