OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. — A former Lake Nona-area martial arts teacher has been charged with 96 counts of sexual battery on a child, the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office said Wednesday.
Deputies said the investigation into Ruben Morales Jr., 62, started in April.
Deputies said help from the victim allowed them to gather probable cause to arrest and charge Morales with 36 counts of sexual battery on a child younger than 12 and 60 counts of sexual battery on a child older than 12.
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Investigators said the victim was not Morales' student and that the incidents spanned several years, ending in 2017.
A release from the Sheriff’s Office said Morales was a martial arts teacher in Lake Nona for years. Deputies said the victim was not one of his students, and that Morales said he was no longer teaching at the time of his arrest.
Deputies said the investigation is ongoing.
Anyone with information regarding the case is asked to call the Sheriff’s Office at 407-348-2222.
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