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Clawson dance studio owner accused of sexual assault due in court

Christopher Keen in court on March 14, 2019.

CLAWSON, Mich. – A dance studio owner in Clawson who is accused of sexually assaulting one of his teenaged students over a two-year period is due in court Thursday afternoon.

The owner of a Metro Detroit dance studio is accused of sexually abusing at least one teenage boy who was one of his students, according to authorities.

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UPDATE: Clawson dance studio owner found guilty of sexually abusing teen student

Christopher Keen, 59, has been charged with criminal sexual conduct. Police believe the alleged incidents happened at his studio and at his home.

View: Offender Information Tracking System

Keen is due in court for a preliminary examination on Thursday at 1:30 p.m.

Keen owns the Kaleidoscope Studio for Performing Arts in Clawson, and police believe there could be more than one victim.

"We know a lot of kids go through that studio, and he's been there for several years," Clawson police Chief Scott Sarvello said. "I can't even imagine what's going through the minds of the victims or their family, how to process this, what do you do?"

Sarvello said the investigation began a year ago after police got a tip about one of the victims from Child Protective Services.

"Obviously, it's a very tough and traumatic situation for them to be in," Sarvello said.

Police have made contact with three alleged victims so far, but only one has come forward to file charges against Keen. Sarvello said that's because the other victims are not ready to come forward.

"Our detectives are continuing to work with two others. They're not quite ready to come forward with all of the information. They're in counseling," he said.

Local 4 tried to reach out to Keen to question him regarding the allegations. No one answered the door at his studio in Clawson or at his house.

Neighbors said the studio was a popular place for musically inclined children in the area and that's why police are worried there could be many more victims.

"Now that it's there and he's charged, I'm hoping maybe this can help other victims come forward so it can help with their life and have them move on a bit," Sarvello said.

The investigation is still in its early stages, but police believe there will be more to come in the case.

Keen was released on bond Thursday after being formally charged with criminal sexual conduct.

Police are asking for any other victims to come forward.

Watch: Koco McAboy's previous report

Map: Kaleidoscope Studio for Performing Arts in Clawson


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Kayla is a Web Producer for ClickOnDetroit. Before she joined the team in 2018 she worked at WILX in Lansing as a digital producer.

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Ken Haddad has proudly been with WDIV/ClickOnDetroit since 2013. He also authors the Morning Report Newsletter and various other newsletters, and helps lead the WDIV Insider team. He's a big sports fan and is constantly sipping Lions Kool-Aid.

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