Martial arts teacher charged with sexual assault

WHITPAIN » Charges of sexual assault were filed Nov. 22 in Whitpain District Court against a former instructor at a martial arts center in Conshohocken, who allegedly assaulted the students at his home in Blue Bell.

Evan S. Burgess, 26, listed in court documents as of the unit block of Ramsgate Court, Blue Bell, was charged with involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, statutory sexual assault, unlawful contact with minors, corruption of minors, and indecent assault.

An investigation began after Whitpain police were notified in September that the Montgomery County Office of Children and Youth had received an anonymous complaint of alleged sexual abuse of several male children, according to the affidavit. The males involved, both students Burgess trained at DeStolfo’s Premier Martial Arts, were interviewed at Mission Kids in September, the complaint says.

Burgess reportedly assaulted a then 14-year-old male in 2015 while he was sleeping at Burgess’ home in Blue Bell. The boy told authorities he woke up to find Burgess, who was in the same bed, attempting to perform oral sex on him and he “moved to a couch to avoid further contact,” the complaint says.

Another male student of Burgess reported that in February 2014, when he was age 14, he watched the Super Bowl in the basement at Burgess’ home, and Burgess, who was sitting next to him with a blanket up to their waists, grabbed his penis over his pants, and he moved away and “nothing was ever said about the incident,” according to the complaint.

Burgess was arrested Nov. 24 and arraigned before District Judge Robert Sobeck, who set bail at $75,000 cash. He was released after posting bail. A preliminary hearing scheduled for Dec. 1 was continued at the request of Burgess’ attorney, a clerk at the district court said.

The Philadelphia Inquirer reported Nov. 30 that a complaint was filed in federal court alleging Burgess sexually assaulted several teenage karate students of his during sleepovers at his home and on trips to martial arts tournaments in Maryland and New York. Burgess, who now lives in Massachusetts, was re-arrested Nov. 28, and was in federal custody as of Nov. 30, according to the article.