Martial arts studio owner charged with sex assault

DERBY — A judge ordered the owner of an Ansonia martial arts studio held in lieu of $500,000 bond Monday after police charged him with sexually assaulting a 14-year-old-girl he once taught.

The man, 49-year-old Uilton Dias of Derby, the owner of Casa of Jiu-Jitsu, faces four counts each of second-degree sexual assault and risk of injury to a minor, and a single count of enticing a minor.

Seymour police said that an investigation began in June after police “received information” that Dias was “having an inappropriate relationship with a female juvenile.”

Detectives determined that Dias “was involved in a sexual relationship with the juvenile,” police said.

According to an arrest warrant, the victim told police she also had sex with Dias at his Main Street martial arts studio in Ansonia. She said Dias “groomed” her on Snapchat, gave her marijuana and also sexually assaulted her during one of his children’s soccer games in Seymour.

In court Monday, Senior Assistant State’s Attorney Kim Northrop said the victim in the case was a participant in an afterschool program in which Dias was an instructor.

She asked Judge Stephanie Damiani to set bond at $500,000, calling the allegations “very, very serious.”

Assistant Public Defender Rosanna Cappetta noted Dias did not have a criminal record and said $500,000 bond would be “excessive” to ensure his appearance in court.

Damiani, though, said she was concerned with the nature of the allegations and also noted Dias had three other pending criminal cases, one of which involved a charge of violating a protective order.

The judge said the $500,000 was appropriate “based on the totality of all the circumstances” after signing protective orders barring Dias from contact with the girl.