Suit Alleges PVE Dance Tutor Seduced Teen Girl For Years
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by Larry Altman A teenage girl filed suit Wednesday against a Palos Verdes Estates dance school and a teacher more than twice her age, alleging he spent four years plying her with words of love, compliments and attention to seduce her into bed. The lawsuit filed in Los Angeles Superior Court further claims the Peninsula School of Performing Arts fired the 16-year-old girl form a dance instruction job she held there and kept 36-year-old instructor Charles Ray Fentroy on staff even after he pleaded no contest in court in February to a charge of unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor. Dance school founder and co-director Tita Boulger said Wednesday that Fentroy stopped working for her following his performances in "The Nutcracker" in December, but his name still appeared Wednesday on the staff list on the school's Web site, which, according to the site, was last modified May 13. "It's absolutely outrageous that he is still teaching there," said attorney David Ring, who represents the girl and her mother. "I'm surprised the community is not in an uproar." A web site biography says Fentroy joined the school in 1992 and was later promoted to soloist. He danced the parts of the Nutcracker Prince, Snow King and Arabian Pas de Deux in Dance Peninsula Nutcracker and, according to the school's web site, teaches "jazz and funk" and is director of "Dynamic Dance." Boulger refused to discuss the lawsuit's allegations because she said she had not seen the documents, but said she did not know about Fentroy's behavior until his arrest in October. Boulger said Fentroy's name appears on her Web site because "I guess it hasn't been taken off." The girl charges that Fentroy, a Torrance resident, befriended her and made sexual advances toward her from the time she was 12, and that Boulger "turned a blind eye" to his behavior, failing to take action and rehiring him to work with children despite his conviction. "Basically he took her under his wing at age 12 and by age 14 he started having what he thought were romantic feelings toward her," Ring said. "At that point his entire goal is to seduce her. That's just sick. He's 36, she's 16." Court records show Fentroy entered into a plea bargain Feb. 18 with the Torrance City Prosecutor's Office, taking a misdemeanor conviction to avoid facing a felony child molestation charge. Prosecutors dismissed that charge with Fentroy's plea. Torrance Superior Court Commissioner Brad Fox sentenced Fentroy to a suspended sentence of 180 days in jail and placed him on three years' probation. Fentroy was ordered to pay $1,750 in fines, attend a yearlong sexual deviance counseling program and stay away from the girl. The misdemeanor conviction avoided marking him as a sex offender required to register with local police agencies. The suit alleges Fentroy spent four years befriending the girl and alleges he spent excessive amounts of time with her. For at least three years, the lawsuit states, he "engaged in obvious flirting." The girl eventually fell for him and, in 2000, the then-34-year-old Fentroy confessed his love to the 14-year-old and engaged in "unlawful sexual contact," the lawsuit says. Two years later, Fentroy and the girl had sexual intercourse, the lawsuit said. Torrance police said the girl's parents learned of the relationship and called police in September. Detectives arrested him in October following an investigation. During the court process, Commissioner Douglas Carnahan issued an order to keep Fentroy away from the girl and away from other minors, except for his performances in "Nutcracker" in November and December. According to the lawsuit, Fentroy took a leave of absence and returned to the school after the court proceedings ended. The lawsuit contends the girl was then let go as an employee. She had taught dance classes to other children, including two courses during Fentroy's leave. A letter sent by the school to parents to notify them of Fentroy's absence and to introduce new teachers indicated the leave was not permanent. "We are sorry to temporarily lose Charles, but hope you will give these new and returning teachers a try," the letter said. Boulger denied that the girl was fired, saying the girl left on her own. The lawsuit charges the girl suffered severe emotional stress and psychological problems requiring treatment. Fentroy did not return telephone calls to his home. |
