CT martial arts instructor accused of sexually assaulting 14-year-old student on multiple occasions

The owner of an Ansonia martial arts studio faces sexual assault and child endangerment charges after a 14-year-old alleged that he assaulted her.

An Ansonia martial arts instructor faces sexual assault and child endangerment charges after a 14-year-old girl told police he allegedly sexually assaulted her several times.

Uilton Dias, 49, of Seymour was arrested last week by the Seymour Police Department and again on Monday by the Ansonia Police Department. He faces a total of four counts each of second-degree sexual assault and risk of injury to a minor and one count of enticing a minor by computer, according to court records.

According to the arrest warrant affidavit, Seymour police in June were investigating an unrelated complaint when a 14-year-old girl asked two officers if she could speak to them privately on the porch of the home, where she disclosed that Dias had “groomed” her and had sex with her on multiple occasions. A detective then notified Ansonia police, the Department of Children and Families and the Rape Crisis Center in Milford.

The girl in July told a crisis center worker that Dias had allegedly provided her with marijuana and sexually assaulted her at his martial arts studio, Casa of Jiu-Jitsu in Ansonia, according to the warrant affidavit.

During a subsequent forensic interview in October at the Yale Child and Advocacy Center in New Haven, the victim alleged that Dias had sexually assaulted her inside his car while it was parked near an athletic field in Seymour where his son was playing a soccer game at the time, the affidavit said. Investigators examined the team’s schedule and believe the incident took place in either May or June.

The girl also detailed during the October interview several alleged sexual assaults she said took place at the martial arts studio, according to the affidavit.

According to the affidavit, the victim’s mother said Dias was the girl’s Jiu-Jitsu instructor and had known her for years. He had also previously helped her with transportation and had taken her shopping before, the affidavit said.

The mother told police she became concerned about the relationship between the two after a video had been sent to the teen on Snapchat allegedly showing Dias showering and reaching for his groin area, the affidavit said.

Diaz is being held on bonds totaling $500,000 following his arrests. He is scheduled to appear in Derby Superior Court on Jan. 3, 2024.