Summer Camp Owner Charged In Sex Assault Case: CMPD

CHARLOTTE, NC — Charlotte police have charged a 52-year-old man who runs a summer camp for children following an investigation into the alleged sexual assault of a then 7-year-old girl last summer, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police said Monday.

Parents of the girl reported the incident to CMPD Feb. 12, and told officers that Ricardo Mata sexually assaulted their daughter while she attended his summer camp, called “Play Spanish” during the summer of 2017.

The camp was located at 1000 East Morehead Street, a CMPD report said.

Following an investigation by CMPD’s Crimes Against Children Unit, a warrant was issued for Mata’s arrest. He was taken into custody following an interview with detectives March 16.

Mata has been charged with “Indecent Liberties with a Minor-Lewd and Lascivious,” CMPD said. He was transferred to the Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office.

CMPD asks that anyone with information about this case contact Crime Stoppers at 704-334-1600.

This story has been updated.

Photo courtesy of Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department