SAN ANTONIO, Texas (WOAI) — A jiu-jitsu instructor has been arrested and charged with seducing and sexually assaulting a 14-year-old student.
Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar held a press conference Monday at 3:30 p.m. to discuss the arrests and charges.
According to the Bexar County Sheriff's Office, suspect Joseph Rene Caballero, 40, was arrested and charged after a 14-year-old girl came forward with a sexual abuse complaint.
Authorities say Caballero allegedly engaged in grooming behavior between October and December 2023, including leaving secret admirer-type notes on the locker of a 14-year-old student.
“The purpose of putting this information out there is to ask if anyone knows any other victims, if anyone may be connected to this incident, please call us regarding this martial arts school,” Sheriff Salazar said.
The student was enrolled at Caballero's Jiu Jitsu School on Culebra Road near Ingram Road.
This ultimately escalated into a situation where Caballero allegedly sexually assaulted a 14-year-old girl multiple times.
According to the sheriff's office, Caballero is subject to a restraining order against him having any contact with the minor child and the victim, with the only exception being with his own children.
“Unfortunately, they did get involved and sexually assaulted the victim at least several times over the course of those several weeks. The young woman came forward and let the family know what was going on. Naturally, the family called us to a home in western Bexar County and we took a report. Our child safety investigators did an excellent job of putting the case together and putting Mr. Caballero behind bars,” Sheriff Salazar explained.
Joseph Rene Caballero was arrested and charged with sexual assault of a child, but was later reportedly released on bail.
“The reason we're putting this out there is because if anyone comes forward and says, 'That's the martial arts school my child goes to!' we want them to strongly consider never going to that martial arts school again,” Sheriff Salazar explained.
After learning of the charges and allegations from the sheriff, we decided to head over to where the store was located to see if classes were still in session. From what we could see, the father and son were still attending the Jiu Jitsu class off Culebra Street.
We tried to contact Caballero and his company through phone numbers they list online.
No one answered so we left a voicemail asking if anyone wanted to speak to us or give us a statement regarding the charges.
Mary Beth Fisk of the Ecumenical Center said it's very important to have open communication with children if they attend the academy.
“There needs to be a safety plan in place to protect their health in the hands of others and we need to be mindful of that,” Fisk said.
Regardless of the situation, Fisk said it's important to keep a close eye on your child for any sudden changes.
“Changes in eating habits, mood or personality changes, and increased agitation can also be emotional indicators that a child may be in the hands of an abuser,” Fisk said.
This incident remains under investigation. Anyone who believes their child may have been a victim is asked to call the Bexar County Sheriff's Office at (210) 335-6000.
