Police say an instructor at a Bethesda Taekwondo studio was arrested for having child pornography and officers found videos of the 26-year-old man engaging in sex acts with what appear to be teenagers. Police on Friday announced the child pornography charges against Alex Soumbadze, a Bethesda resident and instructor and partner at the On the Mat Sports International studio (6936 Wisconsin Avenue). Police said they were notified by South Dakota law enforcement in December of someone who was uploading child pornography on the internet with a Montgomery County IP address. Detectives got court permission to investigate and were able to identify Soumbadze as the user. They then used a search warrant to search Soumbadze's home on April 1. Police said Soumbadze admitted to trading and receiving child pornography. Police said that on or about April 3, Soumbadze fled the U.S. with a possible final destination of Georgia, the country where he was born. Police seized "several electronic devices" from the home and got further court orders to analyze the information stored on the equipment. Police said they found eight child pornography videos and videos of Soumbadze improperly touching and engaging in sex acts with what appear to be adolescent males and young adults. Police said the males "seem to have knowledge that they are being videotaped," and that detectives think the videos were taken before October 2011 at DC Martial Arts, the since-shuttered Taekwando studio where Soumbadze and his partners at On the Mat were instructors and members. In a profile of the On the Mat studio in February, Soumbadze told BethesdaNow.com that he has lived in Bethesda since age 5, when his parents came to the area as diplomats from Georgia. He graduated from Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School in 2006. 
"[My parents] wanted me to do soccer and they wanted me to do karate, but you know a lot of parents don't know the difference between Taekwondo and karate," Soumbadze said at the time. "I went there and saw the advanced belts and saw the black belts and this was something I wanted to do. "For me, my biggest passion is teaching and the award of taking on a student when they start out as blank canvas. You turn them into a masterpiece knowing that you made a difference in their life beyond just sport," he added. Police have charged Soumbadze with eight counts of possession of child pornography and additional charges relating to the alleged sexual abuse appear likely. In a press release Friday, police said detectives would like to identify and speak to the victims on the videos to see if criminal acts may have occurred. Police advised that the victims' personal information will be confidential and that anyone who believes he or she was a victim should call the Special Victims Investigations Division at 240-773-5406. Photos via MCP, On the Mat International
Police: Bethesda Martial Arts Teacher May Have Engaged In Sexual Acts With Students
