After almost one week of deliberation, the jury has returned a verdict on a popular former karate instructor accused of child molestation.
On Monday, a jury found Juan Melesio Flores, 39, guilty of oral copulation with a minor. However, jurors were deadlocked on the remaining 16 charges, and the judge has declared a mistrial on those counts.
Flores was taken into custody and is being held without bond.
The co-owner and lead instructor at Z-Ultimate Studio in Tierrasanta was charged with more than a dozen felony counts, including oral copulation and lewd acts with a child. Prosecutors said the abuse, which allegedly involved two teenage boys, took place between 2012 and Dec. 2013 at the studio, or dojo.
Flores was arrested last December. The two teens testified against him at a preliminary hearing in February.
Flores took the stand in his own defense on Nov. 17. He admitted to touching students’ buttocks and telling a student to take a picture in the shower, but insisted it was just a joke and never sexual in nature.
The jury started deliberating after closing arguments on Nov. 18. The defense argued Flores was a mentor and friend, not a villain, and that the victims’ testimonies weren’t consistent.
“Members of the jury, be very careful because the power and influence of a child molest accusation is immense,” said defense attorney Damian Lowe during closing statements.
But the prosecution said Flores exploited his students, pointing to DNA evidence.
Local
“Child molestation doesn’t happen in front of the cameras. It doesn’t happen in crowds, in front of the courthouse or the middle of the mall,” said Deputy District Attorney Wendy Patrick. “It happens in the same way it happened in this case, beyond closed doors.”
Flores is due back in court Dec. 8.
