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Former karate students sue instructor, alleging molestation

Former karate students sue instructor, alleging molestation
Top Row L to R: Justin Conway, Chris Garwood Bottom Row L to R: Steven Tann, Dennis Rose, Chris Brazell

ID=32096371CAMDEN COUNTY, Ga. -- He was their coach, their mentor, a man they trusted, a man some of them even called their hero. But Thursday seven former karate students filed the first lawsuit under Georgia's new Hidden Predator Act.

The men allege Craig Peeples of Camden County used his position of power with Pak's Karate and his status as an AAU-approved coach to gain their trust and that of their parents, but the lawsuit says he used that power to molest them in some cases more than a 100 times between 1989 and 2000.

This is a case the First Coast News Investigators have been looking into for more than a year. Five of the victims, now in their thirties, sat down together for an extensive interview only with First Coast News.

The man they are accusing also sat down with First Coast News and Peeples said he is innocent.

Chris Brazell, Dennis Rose, Steven Tann, Justin Conway and Chris Garwood say what Pak's Karate Master Craig Peeples did to them when they were children is a dark secret they now want exposed.

"He used the position he held as the master to his advantage and that's how he gained access," said Brazell.

Said Tann, "Coming forward has been very difficult. Everywhere I go I'm very embarrassed. I don't know what people are thinking about me. I don't know if people think I'm lying or not, but I have nothing to gain from this except for knowing I'm helping kids to be safe."

"It's still a struggle. There's nothing fun about it," said Rose.

In a letter to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation in 2014, Brunswick District Attorney Jackie Johnson said her office could not bring the case because of the statute of limitations:

"While there is sufficient evidence to proceed with criminal charges for acts involving multiple victims, the State would be barred by the applicable statute of limitations for those acts alleged to have occurred in Camden County."

"This is extremely awkward and hard to do, but somebody has to do something or nothing will change," said Brazell.

This is first time the five men have spoken publicly together about the sexual abuse they say they endured as children at the hands of their karate instructor.

"Unfortunately, it's a bond. I love these guys, but it's not a bond I want, not for these circumstances," said Garwood.

The civil lawsuit filed on Thursday states the plaintiffs were between 9-19 when they were molested.

All five who sat down with us were Junior Olympic medalists, and they say Peeples was the coach known in the Pak's Federation for taking athletes to the next level.

"He produced the most gold winners, and if you wanted to fight and you wanted to win, you had to go train at his school," said Brazell.

"National team members, some of us U.S. Open, U.S. Cup, World Championships, all over the country, all over the world," said Conway.

The complaint states, "Plaintiffs' parents allowed these sleep-overs and out-of-town trips to occur because they trusted Peeples to care for their children. However, Peeples violated that trust and instead used these sleep-overs and out-of trips to sexually abuse Plantiffs on numerous occasions."

"He's the most senior master in the federation, the most respected, and we were the most respected athletes in terms of where we were in our fighting career, so how could you say anything?" said Conway.

Peeples still owns two karate schools in Georgia, one in Kingsland and the other in Folkston. He adamantly denies the allegations against him.

"I've been teaching since I was 15 years old so for 30 years. Hundreds, thousands of students, children and adults have went through our program, and I could give you lists this big of testimonials I have received over the years," said Peeples.

He believes the District Attorney's letter was politically motivated and that his accusers have ulterior motives.

"30 years of my life, 30 years of building a business, a livelihood of helping people is being just shredded, torn apart," said Peeples.

His attorney, Gary Baker, says they look forward to having their day in court because the allegations are false.

"Why didn't they tell their friends or their family or anything else like that back 20 some odd years ago when it supposedly happened," said Baker. "So the more important question is not why did they come forward, but why didn't they come forward?"

"I think there is financial motivation. I think there is personal vendetta," said Peeples.

"Who is going to believe a teenage kid instead of somebody who has been here all his life building a reputation? He knew everybody in the county and we are a small county," said Tann.

"It's something you never want to talk about. Who wants to admit that? Who wants to be known for that?" asked Conway.

"A lot of it too is, it's a secret you kept for yourself and you don't think it's happening to anybody else and you are strong enough to handle it on your own," said Rose.

Now they say it's time for the truth to be known and they say Georgia's Hidden Predator Act is allowing that to happen.

"For me justice is him held accountable. The criminal statute of limitations, justice sailed long ago for me. What justice is, is that he is not able to do that to any other children," said Conway.

Baker told First Coast News his client plans to counter sue for defamation and slander.

Pak's Karate Academy and the Amateur Athletic Union of the United States, Inc. are also named as defendants in the civil suit. They have 30 days to respond to the complaint.

Song K Pak moved to Jacksonville from Korea in 1973 and told First Coast News he has spent 40 years building his karate school business. He would not speak on camera, but said he is upset and angry.

Pak told First Coast News he trusts Craig Peeples, the karate master who runs two schools bearing his name.

He also said he would let the court sort out the allegations, which he says he didn't know about until former students came forward as adults.

Pak says he hopes people distinguish between Peeples' two schools in Georgia and the many Pak's schools throughout the Southeast.

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