Seo’s Martial Arts Academy instructor arrested, accused of sexually assaulting

A Colorado martial arts instructor accused of sexually assaulting a 14-year-old student was arrested Monday in Texas, police announced Wednesday.

Michael Seo — the 21-year-old son of Joseph Seo, who owns Seo’s Martial Arts Academy in Colorado — was arrested during a traffic stop in Texas, Westminster police spokesperson Cheri Spottke said.

Spottke confirmed Seo worked for his father’s company.

Texas officials arrested Seo during a traffic stop in Spicewood — an unincorporated community in central Texas — and took him to the Travis County Jail, where he is awaiting extradition, according to a Wednesday news release from the Westminster Police Department.

A warrant for Seo’s arrest was issued in February 2023 after police were notified about an ongoing, inappropriate relationship between Seo, who was then 19, and a 14-year-old female student, according to the release.

After a thorough investigation, a warrant was issued for Seo for sexual assault on a child by one in a position of trust – victim under 15, Westminster police said.

The issue comes down to a one-year age difference.

“If she was 16, we wouldn’t even be able to file a report on it,” Spottke said.

The way the statute reads, if a minor is 15 years old or younger and in a relationship with a person 4 or more years older, it falls under sexual assault on a child by one in a position of trust, Spottke said. If she was 16, the age difference benchmark would have been bumped up to 10 years.