Warning: This article contains details that may be disturbing to some readers.
A Minneapolis man working as a dance instructor has been charged with raping a teen who was also his student.
The charge filed in Hennepin County against Decorey Lamar Bozeman, 29, states that he sexually assaulted a 13-year-old boy who was spending the night at his apartment, which jail and court records place on the 2500 block of 1st Avenue South in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
The criminal complaint states that Bozeman called police himself to report what happened after the sexual assault. At the same time, the victim contacted his mother to inform her what occurred, and to have her come pick him up.
When police arrived at the apartment, they spoke with the teenage victim who told them he had spent the night at Bozeman’s apartment where he had been sexually assaulted. The complaint states that the victim did not expound on details at that time but revealed details during a sexual assault exam at the hospital.
Bozeman admitted to investigators that he picked up the student from a dance studio on Dec. 27, and later engaged in a sex act with the underage victim, the complaint states.
Bozeman made his initial court appearance on Wednesday and has retained a private attorney.
According to a now-removed profile on the website of Shapeshift, a non-profit Minneapolis dance collective, Bozeman was listed as a student support specialist at Minnesota Transitions Charter School and at JAMM Dance Co in Rosemount as a competitive dance instructor and choreographer.
The Star Tribune reported that Bozeman left his association with Shapeshift about a month ago, but Bozeman’s attorney, Rachael Goldberger, said “as far as we know, he’s still on staff [at Transitions].”
Bozeman was conditionally released from custody at Hennepin County Jail late Friday night after posting a $50,000 bond, and he is scheduled to make his next court appearance on Jan. 28.
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Minnesota Crime Watch & Information publishes news, info and commentary about crime, public safety and livability issues in Minneapolis, the Twin Cities and Greater Minnesota.
Crime Watch MN
Minnesota Crime Watch & Information publishes news, info and commentary about crime, public safety and livability issues in Minneapolis, the Twin Cities and Greater Minnesota.
