Cromwell police say a karate instructor at Impact Martial Arts is accused of allegedly having a sexual relationship with a student when she was 16 years old.
NBC Connecticut received an arrest warrant for Orest Markiv. In it, police said that during an interview, the teen said she and Markiv had sex on more than one occasion inside the karate studio, and more than once at her Cromwell home.
She told investigators Markiv would come over to her home when her parents were gone and the 32-year-old told her not to tell her parents about him visiting.
Detectives say they discovered pictures of the two hugging and kissing and the victim wearing a robe with “Markiv’s Girl” on the back.
Get Connecticut local news, weather forecasts and entertainment stories to your inbox. Sign up for NBC Connecticut newsletters.
She told them that Markiv promised a future with him and they discussed marriage for after she turned 18. They also "picked out baby names for future children," according to the warrant.
Police said Markiv is listed as the executive manager for the karate studio, which has locations in Cromwell and South Windsor.
Suspicions about the alleged relationship were first raised by an out-of-state instructor who then confronted Markiv and was told, “He messed up his life and would most likely have to return to Ukraine after dissolving his marriage to his pregnant wife.”
Markiv faces two sexual assault charges and is being held on a $150,000 bond.
NBC Connecticut has reached out to Markiv and the studio for comment, but hasn't yet heard back.
