A karate instructor is in jail after being charged with multiple counts of sexually abusing his student, an underage girl.
Tuesday, the Hudson Police Department announced they arrested Anthony DiMascio, 53, from Litchfield, on Monday.
According to court documents, DiMascio worked as a volunteer instructor at a southern New Hampshire karate dojo, which police haven’t named. The teenage girl was his student there.
Police were first tipped off by DiMascio’s former coworkers on December 8, who said they were concerned about him having an inappropriate relationship with a teenager.
They also claimed they had video of him touching her leg under a table, stating both DiMascio and the girl had talked about swapping memory cards full of videos of her “sharing feelings” with the suspect.
During a search of the victim’s room, police found multiple memory cards, a flash drive, and video cameras. In the videos, the teen says “you” multiple times, and makes mention of DiMascio and his contact information.
In police interviews, the victim said she first started talking to DiMascio about two years ago. She said he told her once she turned 16, he was allowed to touch her.
The victim said her and DiMascio have had multiple sexual encounters, including times when he went to her house and she went to his.
Court documents say that during a traffic stop, DiMascio admitted to speaking with the victim over email and saving inappropriate videos he asked her to send him.
Hudson Police say they obtained a search warrant for DiMascio’s Litchfield home, during which they seized “electronic storage devices” and other evidence.
Capt. Patrick Broderick, of the Hudson Police Department, says they’re keeping the family protected.
“We’re in communication with the family,” he said. “Everyone is safe … and (we’re) taking care of their family.”
During DiMascio’s arraignment on Tuesday, the prosecution cited the danger of allowing him to stay out of jail.
“Based on what was discovered (Monday) within the house, the state has strong concerns about the safety of the public and any other juveniles right now,” said Hudson PD court liaison Jered Neff.
“Violence isn’t part of his past,” argued DiMascio’s attorney, citing his lack of a criminal record. “I would just note as far as the facts are concerned here, there is no allegation of violence.”
Police say they’re now expanding their investigation beyond Hudson to identify any other potential victims.
“There’s absolutely no threats to the community at this time,” said Broderick. “However, we are investigating other aspects … that may extend to other jurisdictions. If we do find that information, we will release that, as well.”
DiMascio faces five felony counts, including aggravated felonious sexual assault, manufacturing child abuse images, and endangering the welfare of a child.
His next court appearance is a probable cause hearing Monday morning.
