Martial arts studio vandalized after instructor’s arrest for failing to register as sex offender

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — More than a week after the arrest of a Houston martial arts instructor who failed to register as a sex offender, studio owners were linked to saying he was the victim of backlash. and claims that he was never a formal employee there.

one in The statement was posted on their website, representatives of Richmond and Hillcroft’s Woo Training Studio said one of their locations had been vandalized and the claim was misinformation.

See also: Houston martial arts instructor arrested for failing to register as sex offender

“Please be aware that Felipe Corona was never part of the WTS Ownership Group and was never a formal employee,” studio representatives said in the statement. “The current claims against Felipe took WTS and the entire WTS family by surprise because WTS was not aware of these claims.”

In 2011, Corona was convicted of sexually assaulting a child in McAllen, Texas, in relation to a 16-year-old girl whom investigators said he had met while working at a martial arts studio there. . Once convicted, he never registered as a sex offender and claimed to have moved to Mexico.

By the time he surfaced here, he had known the students as Coach Evan, and Wu Training Studio refutes claims made by Robert Eisel, who said he was a former employee.

“Just under the radar, living under an alias, and no one really knew the truth of his nature or what he had done,” Ezel said last week.

The US Marshal was told about Corona by someone that he saw a picture of him on a social media post for the studio.

“WTS believes that the spread of misinformation and online attacks are targeted and coordinated efforts by individuals to destroy reputation, and whatever the WTS ownership group has created,” studio representatives said. representatives said.

Investigators said they found that Corona was working at three family-owned businesses in southwest Houston: Spartan T-Shirts, Woo Fighting World and Woo Training Studio.

Ezel said that Corona was working with and around children and adolescents.

“Even my own girlfriend’s daughter,” said Ezel, who did business with Corona and her brother for three-and-a-half years.

Police are asking anyone who may be a victim of Corona to speak up and call the Houston Police Department.

The video above is from previous reporting.