Police arrested a dance instructor accused of child molestation after a standoff at his West Dallas home and studio Tuesday.
Vann Gilbert, 53, is accused of sexually abusing a 14-year-old boy who was his dance student in 1997.
Police say the former student, now an adult, reported the abuse to police this past summer. An investigation of the complaint led to two counts of indecency with a child leveled at Gilbert.
The Dallas Metro Task Force went to Gilbert’s home and studio, the nonprofit Mahogany Dance Theatre of Texas, to serve the warrants. A standoff lasted about an hour and a half before Gilbert peacefully surrendered.
According to the nonprofit’s website, Gilbert founded the dance school in 1978, “to provide a performance company for the impoverished communities of Dallas and to open an academy where young people could learn the fundamentals of dance.”
Say the police: “If you have any additional information on this person, or know of additional victims, contact Detective Lawler at 214.671.4453.”
