A 22-year-old martial arts instructor is facing a slate of serious sex crime charges after Allegheny County police say he repeatedly assaulted a 13-year-old student during private lessons at a local studio.
Officers were first called to the studio on March 9 for a report of sexual assault. Investigators say the alleged abuse happened on multiple occasions during one-on-one sessions. Authorities identified the instructor as Steve Burnisky, who was working at the studio at the time of the reported incidents.
According to CBS Pittsburgh, the Allegheny County Police Department said in a news release that Burnisky faces charges including involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, statutory sexual assault, sexual assault, and corruption of minors. Police said the alleged incidents took place during private lessons at the studio, and that officers were dispatched there on March 9 to investigate the initial report. Burnisky was taken into custody on Friday and is being held at the Allegheny County Jail while he awaits a preliminary hearing. The department is asking anyone with information to call its tip line at 1-833-ALL-TIPS.
The arrest lands amid a series of recent cases in the region in which adults in positions of trust have been accused of sexual misconduct involving minors. Hoodline previously reported on the March arrest of a former Pittsburgh EOC manager charged in a child-assault case, a reminder of how these investigations can ripple across Allegheny County. Local advocates say that public reporting of alleged abuse can encourage additional victims to come forward and stress that victims’ services remain available through county hotlines and nonprofit organizations.
What the charges mean
Under Pennsylvania law, offenses such as involuntary deviate sexual intercourse and many forms of statutory sexual assault are felonies that can bring long prison terms if the cases are prosecuted and result in convictions. The statute governing involuntary deviate sexual intercourse and related sexual offenses is outlined in the state Crimes Code at 18 Pa.C.S. § 3123. The provisions specific to statutory sexual assault appear at § 3122.1. Sentencing can vary based on the exact counts and circumstances, and some convictions can trigger mandatory minimum prison terms.
What happens next
Burnisky is scheduled for a preliminary hearing, where a judge will decide whether there is enough evidence for the case to move forward to formal charges in court. County police have not released the name of the martial arts studio and say they are investigating for any “potential additional incidents.” As CBS Pittsburgh noted, investigators are asking anyone with relevant information to contact the county tip line at 1-833-ALL-TIPS.
