MOUNT PLEASANT, Wis. — A Mount Pleasant dance teacher is facing child pornography charges. 37-year-old Gilbert Mata was arrested in April 2023. Parents whose kids attended the studio where Mata worked said they're just now finding out.
"Initially I felt sad. I'm sad there are people like this that take the most vulnerable populations and exploit them," Gracie Schmelter said.
Schmelter is one of several parents TMJ4 spoke to Tuesday, whose children attended Dance Arts Center (DAC) in Mount Pleasant.
"I found out from a friend of mine. She called me yesterday morning and my daughter was supposed to start dance class yesterday evening," Schmelter said.
Parents said they found out this week that Mata, a former employee at DAC, was charged with child pornography last year.
Comments online said, "It is very wrong not to disclose this to the parents" and "My daughter attended DAC last school year and I wasn't notified either. I am really disgusted that all parents were not notified of this situation."
A criminal complaint said Oak Creek police officers found pornographic images of children under the age of 12 on Mata's iPad earlier this year. In an interview on April 5, detectives claim Mata told them he's a dance teacher and works with kids. He also admitted he views child pornography approximately once a month.
"I think it's very different from just saying, 'Oh, he had a problem in the past,' to this is solid, what is on his own computer," Schmelter added.
We tried to call Mata Tuesday, but it went to voicemail. We also tried calling his partner, who's still currently employed at DAC, but he didn't answer either.
When we went to DAC, a woman who answered the door identified herself as the studio's owner, but wouldn't give her name.
In a conversation with TMJ4's Jenna Rae, she said, "As soon as we found out that charges were filed against him, we terminated him, and nothing happened here at the studio. No students were involved. We did tell parents that he taught. It was a personal issue, not really a Dance Arts Center issue."
The answer from the studio, parents said, doesn't sit well with them.
"I'm really sad that this is even a thing in our day in age that people would put children at risk," Schmelter said.
TMJ4 reached out to both Oak Creek Police and Mount Pleasant Police to see if any of the minors in the videos found on Mata's device were former or current students. They still have not gotten back to us.
Mata is expected in court next Tuesday for a plea hearing.
According to the Dance Arts Center's Facebook page:
There's been a lot of attention recently concerning a former instructor at Dance Arts Center. I'd like to take this opportunity to clarify what happened, explain our response, and address the concerns we've heard from many of you.
Last April, one of DAC's instructors Gil Mata, was arrested and charged with possession of child pornography. Upon learning of these charges, DAC commenced an immediate investigation into the matter. Based upon that investigation, (1) Mr. Mata was dismissed, and (2) with assurances from the authorities, there was no threat at the studio and none of our students had been affected.
Upon dismissing Mr. Mata, concluding that the facility was safe and none of our students affected, DAC, for its part, considered the matter closed.
We have heard concerns from parents who were not aware of Mr. Mata's situation until recently. To be clear, DAC's never intended to "conceal" or avoid being transparent about any of this. In our judgment we simply believed that it was only necessary to inform the parents of Mr. Mata's students of the circumstances surrounding his dismissal. Perhaps that was a mistake and we should have informed all of you. To those of you who feel this way, we sincerely apologize for not bringing this to your attention sooner; however, please understand that this isn't an easy situation with easy answers or solutions no matter what course of action is taken.
A few additional points. First, Dance Arts Center was not mentioned in the investigation, nor were any of our students. Mr. Mata's employment was not exclusive to DAC, having taught at numerous other studios and conventions throughout the country.
Second, as part of our renovation plan, security cameras will be added to each studio. These will be installed as soon as possible when cleared from our builders. We are also reiterating guidelines for our teaching staff and outside choreographers that work with our students.
Third, it would be a great benefit to all students and parents to take this subject and join an education seminar to discuss dancer safety (in and out of the studio), along with other challenges students face in the dance industry. We will be adding one to our calendar; in the meantime, please feel free to discuss any questions with Valerie, and we will be transparent with all of the information we know.
Finally, I am a parent and I know firsthand how concerning the world is around us. I feel that the studio is a safe space, and any dancer should know that if they have any concerns or questions that they can come to any staff member at any time.
Correction: The incident happened in 2023, not in 2022 as originally reported.
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