CLAWSON, Mich. – A dance studio owner in Clawson who was found guilty of sexually assaulting one of his teenage students over a two-year period is scheduled was sentenced Wednesday.
Christopher Keen, 59, was charged with criminal sexual conduct for the alleged assault of a teen at his Kaleidoscope Studio for Performing Arts in Clawson and at his home in Birmingham. He was found guilty on all counts last year.
Police said the student was between 13 and 16 years old when he was abused in 2013 and 2014.
“I would start my voice lesson and start warming up, and he would make a comment like, ‘Your voice is tense, you seem tense, why don’t you take your clothes off,’" the victim testified in court.
The accuser said Keen initiated sex with him when he was an underage teen, and that went on for two years.
Investigators also were aware of other alleged victims. After the trial in November, a jury found Keen guilty of first and second-degree criminal sexual conduct.
Sentenced to 18-60 years in prison
Keen was sentenced to 18-60 years in prison on Wednesday.
“Any sentence I give you is effectively a life sentence, and that’s where you belong,” said Judge James Alexander, of Oakland County Circuit Court. “Away from children, away from people you can be a predator to.”