Monroe dance studio owner accepts plea agreement in child molestation case

A Monroe dance instructor charged with inappropriately touching an underage student at his dance studio back in November 2015 has taken a plea deal that could mean he will avoid jail time.

Kristopher Backman, 33, was arrested just more than a year ago at the Stanza Dance Studio on Lewis Street; he was charged with second-degree child molestation on July 20, 2016. He pleaded not guilty during his arraignment two days later.

Backman accepted an agreement with the prosecutor’s office on Aug. 3, where he pleaded guilty to a charge of third-degree child molestation in order to possibly receive a lower sentence. His trial had been set to start on Monday.

The victim's mother reported to the Monroe Police Department in late November 2015 that Backman had allegedly touched her then 15-year-old daughter when she was 14, according to a probable cause affidavit. Each of the three alleged incidents was during private lessons.

In a statement the victim said Backman was helping her stretch each time he touched her. She described herself as “feeling paralyzed and having a racing heart.” She then acted as if nothing had happened, and the lesson continued, she said.

The third time the contact occurred, she asked Backman, “What are you doing?” and he “eventually got up and left.” She showed police that she had posted on social media after the first incident.

The early December 2014 post read, “That ruined me.” Backman told police he rarely helped students stretch. He also said parents have to sign a waiver at the studio that gives him permission to make “corrections.”

In his personal written statement in the plea agreement, Backman admitted to having sexual contact with the victim on or around Dec. 10, 2014. No other instance was mentioned. 

Monroe detectives conducted a seven-month investigation after the victim's mother contacted the agency.

Detectives discovered the Redmond Police Department had also investigated Backman in 2008. Accusations from the previous victim detailed the instructor had first approached her in the same way. Inappropriate contact allegedly started during private lessons.

Her mother also reported the accusations when her daughter was 15. The alleged victim told police she had sex with Backman several times in his car while she was supposed to be in class.

The King County Prosecutor’s Office declined to press charges at the time, as the alleged victim then denied sexual contact. When contacted by Monroe detectives, the alleged victim said she was willing to come forward to help the new case.

During their investigation, Monroe detectives also contacted witnesses at Stanza, which Backman opened with his wife in 2010. No one else reported inappropriate touching, but most said they had seen Backman engage in “inappropriate comments and conduct.”

All were about the same age as the victim, between 11 and 16 years old, and attended classes at about the same time. The dance instructor was said to have played “Cards Against Humanity” when the students’ parents and his wife were not around, according to court documents.

When someone walked in the room during a game, the kids were allegedly told to put the cards away. Backman allegedly would often play sexually explicit cards during his turns. He would also allegedly bring up sexual subjects or make inappropriate comments to female students, including about his past drug use.

Backman would not be allowed to have contact with the victim who went to his dance studio in Monroe per his plea agreement. He would also not be allowed to have contact with any minors unless supervised by an approved adult.

The plea agreement would also require Backman to complete a sexual deviancy program, including “all conditions imposed by the therapist and DOC (Department of Corrections.” He would also have to pay restitution for the crime, and other fines and fees. He would also have to provide and pay for a DNA sample, and register as a sex offender.

Sentencing is scheduled for 1 p.m. Friday, Oct. 6, in Snohomish County Superior Court. Third-degree child molestation is a Class C felony, punishable by up to five years in prison and up to $10,000 in fines.