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Delray Beach yoga teacher charged with sexually abusing teen girl

Posted at 12:53 PM, Jun 14, 2017
and last updated 2017-06-17 10:19:51-04

A 58-year-old Delray Beach yoga instructor is charged with sexually abusing a 15-year-old girl last year. 

According to a police report, the mother of the girl hired a private investigator to look into her daughter's interactions with the instructor, Keith Steven Fox.

"She had a suspicion and she didn't know if it was enough to call law enforcement and so she wanted somebody else to confirm that suspicion," explained Dani Moschella, the spokeswoman for the Delray Beach Police Department.

The mom said Fox would spend a large amount of time by himself with her daughter. She said Fox would often pick the girl up at all times of the day, both early in the morning and late in the evening.

Private investigators told the mother of the girl they believed Fox and the teen would also smoke marijuana.

Fox, who is married, would have the girl over at his house while his wife was away on a business trip, according to the private investigator.

"At least once the victim alleges there was inappropriate sexual contact between this adult and herself," explained Moschella.

In June 2016, the investigator also said she saw Fox and the girl "nude, touching one another in a sexual manner" at his home. 

In July 2016, Delray Beach police interviewed the girl about her relationship with Fox. The teen said her relationship with the yoga instructor was more a "father/daughter" relationship and "he was more of a mentor."

The girl went on to say that she had been interacting with Fox since February 2016, and he would buy her things. 

The teen said Fox had sexual activity with her on more than one occasion, including intercourse.

In August 2016, Fox refused to provide a statement to police when he was contacted regarding the accusations.

Fox provided a DNA sample to police in September 2016 for evidence pertaining to the case. 

Fox was booked at the Palm Beach County Jail on June 13, 2017 and faces sexual battery charges of a victim older than 12 but younger than 18.

No bond has been set in the case.

"Anytime you have an adult who's in a position of power, like a teacher, any type of sexual battery would then be an abuse of that power," said Moschella.