Convicted Child Rapist Caught Working At North Brookfield Karate Studio For Kids

NORTH BROOKFIELD (CBS) - Police say a level 3 sex offender, convicted in 1991 of raping his karate students, failed to tell them he was now working at a martial arts studio in North Brookfield.

David Sanderson, 60, was known as "Grandmaster Doshi" at the Eternal River School on North Main Street which suddenly closed its doors on Thursday. Sanderson is registered as a sex offender in the nearby town of Barre where he lives.

But according to the Sex Offender Registry law he is required to notify police if anything changes in his status, including a job. "It's completely on him to make sure he registers whenever he changes a job, vehicle, or anything," said Smith.

If Barre police had known they would have notified North Brookfield. Barre Police Chief Erik Demetropoulos says he doesn't know if it was a "misunderstanding" or a "blatant disregard of the law." But he says a tip led them to investigate Sanderson and photos revealed he was working at the studio.

A level 3 sex offender is considered most likely to re-offend. In 1991 Sanderson pleaded guilty to numerous child rape charges and was sentenced to twenty years in prison. He was arrested May 25 for failing to register his job status and was released on $2,000.00 bail after his arraignment.

The landlord has now evicted the Eternal River School from the property which some parents believe is appropriate. "People fly through the cracks all the time, repeat offenses happen all the time," said Frances Harrahy. "I hate to see anyone get hurt."

"I just can't believe it," said Carmy Kozlowski, a grandmother of a karate student. "I'm still in shock over it. I just can't believe it because he didn't seem that type of a person at all."

Shawn Whitney runs a martial arts studio two doors down, and has offered Sanderon's now former students a month worth of free classes.

"It's just a bad look on, on every martial arts teacher out there," Whitney says. "You're a mentor to them, more than anything."

Chief Smith says he doesn't know if Sanderson should have been working at the karate studio in the first place. "It's one of those things I'm personally looking into," he says. "I ask the question how could this happen and how can we prevent it from happening again."

WBZ-TV's Julie Loncich contributed to this report.