Bradenton martial arts instructor gets prison after sexually abusing student
A former Bradenton martial arts instructor is headed to prison after investigators said he sexually abused a 14-year-old student he met at the dojo.
A judge sentenced 25-year-old Brennon Cooper Brown on Wednesday to five years and four months in prison, followed by two years of sex offender probation.
Brown’s sentencing came a little more than a month after he pleaded no contest to one count of lewd or lascivious battery. Prosecutors dropped two other counts as part of the plea agreement, according to court records.
Investigators said Brown met and abused the teen while teaching at Ancient Ways Martial Arts Academy, a Bradenton martial arts school owned by his father.
According to an arrest report, Brown, who was 22 at the time, and the girl began messaging each other on Instagram and spending time together outside the martial arts school. Her parents, according to the report, allowed Brown to hang out with her as a friend and mentor “because he seemed like a trustworthy person.”
But prosecutors say Brown betrayed that trust when the relationship became inappropriate. Investigators say Brown sexually abused the girl more than once in early 2023, touching her chest and genitals under her clothing and directing her to perform oral sex.
Victim addresses court in sexual abuse case
During Wednesday’s hearing, the victim addressed the court ahead of Brown’s sentencing.
“I’m here today so my voice is heard and to stand up against the abuse and trauma I’ve been dealing with since I was 14 years old,” the victim told the court.
“I want the truth to be known,” she continued. “Most importantly, I want to know that Mr. Brown will never be in a position where he can victimize anyone else.”
She spoke at the start of a hearing where prosecutors pressed for prison time while the defense urged leniency. The arguments focused on Brown’s role as an instructor, the impact on the victim and whether his lack of criminal history and sheltered upbringing should reduce his sentence.
Prosecutor Jonathan Zachary told the court Brown’s position as a martial arts instructor gave him influence over the teenager and made the abuse an exploitation of power.
“We’re talking about a 14-year-old and a 22-year-old, not just a 22-year-old, but he’s a 22-year-old in a position of authority,” Zachary said, also pointing to a letter from a 51-year-old student who said she looked up to Brown, underscoring the influence he carried in the dojo.
Dojo instructor made ‘dumb decision,’ defense says
The defense, meanwhile, argued that Brown was a socially awkward young man who grew up sheltered in his family’s martial arts school and made what his attorney described as a “dumb decision.”
They said he was not predatory, pointed to a psychologist’s testimony that he was at low risk of reoffending, and argued that losing his career and reputation were consequences the court should take into account when weighing his sentence.
Boon Brown, Brennon’s father and owner of Ancient Ways, told the court how his son’s ambition was to open his own martial arts studio one day. That ambition, defense attorney Jennifer Fury said, will now never come to fruition as a result of this case.
“He will never return to a dojo. He will be a convicted sex offender. He will never do that work. He will never work with children again,” Fury said. “He had something very positive to offer. And those days are gone.”
But Circuit Judge Frederick Mercurio said those kinds of consequences could not substitute for punishment under Florida’s sentencing laws. “The primary purpose of sentencing pursuant to the criminal punishment code is to punish the offender. Rehabilitation is a desired goal of the criminal justice system, but is subordinate to the goal of punishment,” Mercurio said.
Brennon’s mother, Jamie Brown, also asked the court for leniency. She grew emotional as she told the judge she did not believe her son’s actions reflected who he truly is.
“I just feel like this is not of his character in any way, shape or form,” Jamie Brown said.
Bradenton man sentenced to 5 years
At one point in the hearing, Brennon and his attorney briefly considered withdrawing his plea after Circuit Court Judge Frederick Mercurio raised concerns about how state sentencing rules applied in the case. After a short recess, Brennon chose to move forward, and his attorney asked the court to show him mercy.
Mercurio rejected Fury’s call for a downward departure, a legal mechanism that allows judges to impose sentences below the state’s minimum guidelines. Instead, he sentenced Brennon to what he found was the “lowest permissible prison sentence” under the law.
Brennon faced a maximum possible sentence of up to 15 years in prison.
“This young man is not someone that I get any pleasure of sending to jail or prison, and by all accounts, he’s led an exemplary life,” Mercurio said. “But even though this was the only charge on his record, the fact that he committed multiple acts of abuse negates a finding that this was a single, isolated incident.”
The defense’s claim that Brennon’s sheltered upbringing left him socially stunted also fell flat under Mercurio’s scrutiny. Mercurio noted that Brennon had already been in several age-appropriate relationships and was capable of making responsible adult choices, such as leaving college to pursue his career goals. By contrast, the victim was only 14 and, in Mercurio’s words, “a girl, not a woman.”
He called it “inconceivable” that Brennon would abandon the values of discipline and integrity instilled in him through his martial arts training when he chose to exploit his role as an instructor. Mercurio said the victim was physically and socially immature and emphasized that the secretive nature of their encounters showed Brennon recognized his behavior was wrong at the time.
During Wednesday’s hearing, Brennon expressed remorse for his decisions.
“I should have been more mature. I should have been stronger in setting my limits, and most importantly, I should have lived up to the trust that was placed in me,” Brennon told the court.
