Police: Former student alleges Fort Mill dance instructor ‘inappropriately touched’ him for 5 years

The dance studio operator arrested Friday in connection with the alleged sexual assault of a student at the operator’s North Carolina home also has been accused of inappropriately touching the boy over a five-year period at the Fort Mill recreation complex where he ran a dance program, Fort Mill police said Monday.

The former student in the Huntersville case filed a report Friday afternoon with the Fort Mill Police Department alleging that Eddie Mabry, 51, “inappropriately touched” him, said Maj. Bryan Zachary.

“We can confirm that the person who has made the allegations in both jurisdictions is the same person,” Zachary said.

The former student, now an adult, was as young as 14 at the time the alleged assaults began, Zachary said.

The Herald does not identify sexual assault victims.

Mabry was arrested Friday in Mecklenburg County on charges of statutory rape and contributing to the delinquency of a minor.

Mabry has not been charged with a crime in Fort Mill, Zachary said. Fort Mill detectives planned to meet with Huntersville police Monday, he said, and are continuing the investigation into the allegations of criminal sexual conduct in Fort Mill.

Efforts to reach Mabry, who was released on $15,000 bond Friday from the Mecklenburg County jail, were unsuccessful Monday.

His lawyer, George Laughrun of Charlotte, said Monday that Mabry “adamantly denies” the North Carolina charges. He said he was unaware of allegations filed with Fort Mill police.

Mabry’s first court appearance is scheduled for 1 p.m. Monday in Charlotte, but Laughrun said he will appear on Mabry’s behalf and Mabry is not expected to attend.

The former student told Huntersville police he was 7 when he started attending classes with Mabry, and later worked for him at the Fort Mill dance studio.

Mabry operated Eddie Mabry Talent for about 20 years at the Leroy Springs recreation complex in Fort Mill. The program was suspended indefinitely by recreation complex officials after learning of Mabry’s arrest.

Tim Patterson, CEO of Leroy Springs, confirmed in an email Monday night that the Eddie Mabry Talent program is suspended. It is not expected to be held on complex grounds for any reason without advance notice and knowledge of staff, Patterson said.

Employees at the complex are cooperating with law enforcement in its investigation of allegations against Mabry of improper sexual conduct at the complex, but Patterson declined to give specifics.

Recreation complex officials before Friday’s allegations had no previous reports or indications of any inappropriate behavior, Patterson said. However, facility officials are reviewing policies to see if safety and control procedures can be improved. Safety of patrons remains the highest priority, Patterson said.

Mabry was a dance instructor at Winthrop University from 2002 to 2009, according to a Winthrop spokesman. Mabry taught many semesters in those years, in some years teaching students in both the spring and fall, with the exception of 2008, when Mabry did not teach any classes.

This story was originally published March 31, 2015 at 9:15 AM with the headline "Police: Former student alleges Fort Mill dance instructor ‘inappropriately touched’ him for 5 years."