Updated 10:45 a.m. Wednesday — The martial arts instructors at a popular Bethesda Taekwondo studio once regarded Alex Soumbadze as a business partner and friend. That was before April 1, when police said they found the 26-year-old with child pornography and videos that show him engaging in sex acts with who appear to be teenagers. Police said Soumbadze fled the U.S., possibly for his native country of Georgia, a few days later. The allegations left Soumbadze's former colleagues at On the Mat Sports International (6936 Wisconsin Avenue) shocked, hurt and distraught, according to parents of students there. It also has left the studio at least temporarily closed. "Right now, they just don't want to teach anymore," said Aline Lambert, a parent whose two daughters are currently enrolled in classes at the studio. "Everybody was shocked and they were very, very hurt. It was not pretty to see that." Owner Lisa Owen and her partners, instructors Ethan Woodson, and Jeremy Smith, couldn't be reached for comment for this story. The trio and Soumbadze joined in 2011 to take over the DC Martial Arts Academy, where they had been students and instructors. In a profile of the studio published earlier this year, Owen told Bethesda Now she was a DC Martial Arts Academy student who wanted to keep the Taekwondo tradition alive in Bethesda. Police said they found Soumbadze with eight child pornography videos, plus videos of Soumbadze improperly touching and engaging in sex acts with what appear to be adolescent males and young adults. Police said the males in the videos "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 studio shut down shortly after police searched Soumbadze's home, according to parents, well before news of the allegations were made public last week. Owen and the other partners have held multiple parent-only meetings to discuss the situation. "I know initially, they were very emotionally hurt by this, surprised and distraught. I can't tell you what they were feeling, but the emotional distress was obvious," said Tom Kish, who has kids age 10 and 12 enrolled at the studio. Kish said his kids "pretty much know what's going on without being explicitly told," and that he and his wife have asked difficult questions about their time under the instruction of Soumbadze. Other parents said they're losing patience. "I am disgusted not only by the allegations against Soumbadze, but increasingly at the current owners and management of [On the Mat], who have been essentially radio silent since this news broke," said Karen Lowy, who has had three children take Taekwondo from Soumbadze. "Where is the respect and basic consideration for the many parents and families who trusted their children and paid considerable amounts of money to this studio? Why won't they tell us anything," Lowy said. "[Owen] may have had an initial outpouring of support and offers of assistance, but I would be very surprised if it is all but dried up at this point." Lambert said she hasn't heard of any abuse happening to current students at the studio and that a few parents are trying to convince the instructors to go back into business. She said her daughters, age 7 and 11, started last fall with a trial class and have enjoyed it ever since. "They loved the instructors and the general spirit of the club," Lambert said. "When we explained what's happening to our youngest, well what we could explain to her, she said she doesn't want any other masters." Police said they were initially led to Soumbadze, a 2006 graduate of Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School, by a tip from law enforcement in South Dakota who tracked someone with a Montgomery County IP address uploading child pornography. In February, Soumbadze told Bethesda Now he was proud the group behind On the Mat was able to retain most of the students at DC Martial Arts Academy. "[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. "I went there and saw the advanced belts and saw the black belts and this was something I wanted to do." Lambert said one of the instructors who has known Soumbadze for about 10 years was especially hurt by the allegations. "I fall into the camp hoping they reopen soon," Kish said. "My kids were disappointed. They liked Soumbadze, though we didn't know what we now know." "My children," Lowy said, "will absolutely never return." Photo via Montgomery County Police
Sex Abuse Allegations Cloud Future Of Popular Bethesda Martial Arts Studio
