Brandon Christopher Marriott was a tap dance instructor at Focus
Dance Center in Irvine. But, according to police and prosecutors, he saved his best moves for inside his car. That's where the 21-year-old from Westminster allegedly fingered and orally copulated a 15-year-old dance student he'd “groomed” by telling her she was beautiful. He's now looking for up to five years in state prison if convicted of the felony charges filed against him. Meanwhile, the Orange County District Attorney's office (OCDA) and Costa Mesa Police
Department are putting out the call for other possible victims.
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The OCDA says the sexual assaults took place between July and August.
One of the trysts in the car took place when Marriott took the
then-15-year-old to the movies, prosecutors say. The case against him
began after the girl's parents found text messages from the dance
instructor saying he wanted to have sex with her, according to the
complaint. The parents contacted Costa Mesa police, who arrested
Marriott Friday.
He now faces two felony counts of sexual penetration
of a minor under 16, one felony count of oral copulation of a minor
under 16, and one felony count of contacting a minor with the intent to
commit a sexual offense.
Anyone who believes Marriott assaulted them or has additional
information that can help the investigation is asked to contact
Supervising District Attorney
Investigator Lou Gutierrez at 714.347.8794, Costa Mesa Police
Detective Mike Manson at 714.754.5360 or Costa Mesa Police Sergeant
Ed Everett at 714.754.5395.
OC Weekly Editor-in-Chief Matt Coker has been engaging, enraging and entertaining readers of newspapers, magazines and websites for decades. He spent the first 13 years of his career in journalism at daily newspapers before “graduating” to OC Weekly in 1995 as the alternative newsweekly’s first calendar editor.