Charge: Wright County martial arts instructor groped 15-year-old pupil several times

A Wright County martial arts instructor has been charged with molesting one of his pupils, a 15-year-old girl who also worked for him.

Patrick D. Hoth, 50, of Brooklyn Park, was charged Monday in Wright County District Court with fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct in connection with repeated groping incidents at the World Taekwondo Academy in the Colonial Mall in St. Michael.

Hoth was charged by summons and has a Dec. 31 court date. Defense attorney Bruce Rivers said Tuesday that Hoth "adamantly denies the allegations and will fight this in court."

According to the criminal complaint:

The girl sent her father a text message last month that read, "He's molesting me." She said Hoth would bring her to a back office and leave the lights off, pull her onto his lap and grope her.

Her mother told a sheriff's detective that her daughter had been attending the academy for a long time and that Hoth recently started giving the teen private lessons at no charge.

The mother added that other students believed her daughter was Hoth's favorite and the two of them took many walks in the woods.

His biography on the academy's website says he has coached teams at state and national competitions and is expert in areas of anti-bullying, school climate and workplace safety.

The bio also says he worked for seven years as a public school teacher and 12 years as a public school administrator.

State records show he held a teaching license up until 2013 in the area of special education. St. Francis School District records disclose he was an assistant principal in that system at one time.