Testimony in case of Modesto karate instructor accused of sexually abusing students

A 51-year-old Modesto karate instructor accused of sexually abusing several of his students assaulted one of them more about 50 times over the course of a year, a police investigator said the victim told him.

Detective Sean Dodge’s testimony is part of a preliminary hearing for Carlos Silva Loya, owner and master instructor of Kempo Karate School. He is charged with 29 felony counts of sexual abuse based on allegations from several boys at his karate school.

At the conclusion of the hearing, Stanislaus Superior Court Judge Thomas Zeff will determine whether there’s enough evidence for Loya to stand trial. The defendant remains in custody in the county jail.

Dodge questioned a boy who said he was 13 years old when Loya first sexually molested him. The boy, identified in court as John Doe 1, told the detective he had been a student at the karate school for about a year when the abuse began. The boy said he considered Loya a mentor and would visit the defendant and his son at Loya’s Modesto home, according to Dodge.

During cross-examination, Dodge said he doesn’t know why the boy initially said Loya sexually abused him about 30 times. The detective said child victims of sexual abuse will sometimes provide a different number of alleged incidents because of the trauma involved.

In the first alleged act of abuse, John Doe 1 was in Loya’s bedroom. Dodge testified that the boy said Loya took off his pants and had the boy touch the defendant’s genitals, before Loya had sex with the boy.

John Doe 1 also described for the detective the final alleged act of abuse by Loya. Dodge said the boy was 14 years old by then. The detective said Loya demanded oral sex from the boy. The boy initially refused, Dodge testified, but Loya intimidated the boy. John Doe 1 then complied with the defendant’s demands.

Call made to suspect

The detective asked John Doe 1 to call Loya. The call was recorded by police. Dodge testified that he instructed the boy to confront Loya about the sexual abuse and that he was about to reveal it to a counselor. In the call, Loya told the boy not to tell the counselor about the sexual abuse, and the defendant instructed the boy to say he felt like dying, according to the detective.

Dodge questioned Loya shortly after his Aug. 17 arrest. The detective told the judge that Loya thought he was being questioned because the defendant was registered sex offender stemming from a sexual battery conviction about 25 years ago.

Alleged confession

During the police interrogation, Loya confessed to having a sexual relationship with John Doe 1, according to the detective. Dodge said Loya admitted to having sex with the boy five times and was willing to write a letter of apology. After a news report about Loya’s arrest appeared in The Modesto Bee, Dodge said several other boys reported to police Loya sexually abused them, as well.

On Aug. 30, John Doe II’s family called police. Modesto police officer Dennis Reis testified that the boy was 12 years old when Loya first molested him. Loya had invited the boy to help with chores, use the defendant’s wifi and play video games. The boy told the officer that he was trying on some clothes and then “play fighting” with Loya in his locked bedroom, when the defendant touched his genitals.

Reis said the boy pushed Loya’s hand away, knowing it was wrong. A few months later, John Doe II was back in Loya’s bedroom trying on clothes again when the defendant touched his genitals again, according to the officer. The boy left the bedroom. In a third alleged encounter at the defendant’s home, Loya reached inside the boy’s underwear and touched his genitals, according to Reis.

This story was originally published March 13, 2017 at 5:56 PM with the headline "Testimony in case of Modesto karate instructor accused of sexually abusing students."