An instructor at a San Jose martial arts studio has been arrested on suspicion of engaging in sex acts with a minor, police announced Tuesday.
Bernie Barrozo, 28, of San Jose is accused of having unlawful intercourse and oral copulation with at least one minor, identified by police as a teenage girl.
Officers first responded to a report of unlawful intercourse and oral copulation with a minor on the night of Jan. 17, police said. Officers identified Barrozo as the suspect and learned that he was an instructor at the Wushu Central Martial Arts Academy along the 800 block of Coleman Avenue.
After obtaining an arrest warrant, authorities arrested Barrozo on March 6 and booked him into Santa Clara County Main Jail, police said.
Detectives determined Barrozo was also a former behavioral therapist for children with autism, according to police.
"Knowing that he has a history of working with children as well as being a person of trust, we do have concerns that there may be additional victims," police spokesperson Stacie Shih said. "We hope that's not the case, but we want anyone with information about this case and the suspect to please contact detectives."
Wushu Central Martial Arts Academy owner David Chang said Barrozo worked there for a little more than a year.
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“We do a background check on every potential employee and make sure they are clean before we hire anybody,” he said.
Chang added that he even took the added step of scouring Barrozo’s social media sites before hiring him. He said that he first learned police were investigating Barrozo in January.
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“We suspended him at that time pending the results of the investigation,” he said.
Chang said that Barrozo was a diligent worker and he is stunned to learn of his arrest.
“It’s saddening to us," he said. "We feel betrayed to a large degree because he is someone we entrusted and we did everything including a background check and watching how he was behaving in the workplace."
Anyone with information about the case or similar cases is asked to contact San Jose police Detective Zanotto (#3657) or Detective Santos (#4047) by email at 3657@sanjoseca.gov or 4047@san joesca.gov or by phone at 408-277-3214.
