Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office

                                 25 Kirkpatrick Street, 3rd Floor, New Brunswick, New Jersey, 08901 (732) 745-3300

 

                                *Press Release*           Date: February 20, 2009                     

                                                      
 

 
 

        

 

 

 

    

Karate school instructor charged with sexual assault

 

 

            Middlesex County Prosecutor Bruce J. Kaplan and Old Bridge Police Chief Thomas Collow today announced the arrest of a township karate school instructor who was charged with sexually assaulting a female student.

 

          Patrick Betterton, (DOB 11/13/84) of 556 Marlboro Road, Old Bridge, was arrested at his studio, Tristar Martial Arts, on February 19, 2009, and has been charged with aggravated sexual assault, sexual assault and endangering the welfare of a child.

 

Betterton was charged following an investigation by Old Bridge Detective Richard Tulko and Investigator Daniel Ruschak of the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office. The investigation determined Betterton sexually abused the girl on various occasions in his studio and in his home between March 2007 and March 2008, when the girl was 15 years old.

 

Betterton is being held on $250,000 bail at the Middlesex County Adult Correctional Facility.

 

Anyone with information on these incidents, or similar incidents, is asked to call Detective Tulko at (732) 721-5600, or Investigator Ruschak at (732) 745-3600.

 

As is the case with all defendants, the charges against Betterton are merely accusations and he is presumed innocent until proven guilty.