The owner of a Massena gymnastics school has admitted in court to child endangerment charges for offering alcohol and showing a pornographic video to underage girls.
48-year-old Daniel J. Zera, the owner of Back to Back Gymnastics School at the St. Lawrence Centre Mall, entered a plea of guilty on Wednesday in St. Lawrence County Court to two counts of Endangering the Welfare of a Child. Zera was indicted in August of last year on charges of 1st degree Sexual Abuse, 2nd degree Sexual Abuse, Forcible Touching, 2nd degree Unlawful Imprisonment, 1st degree Unlawfully Dealing With a Child, and two counts of Endangering the Welfare of a Child.
Police alleged that while the two 13-year-old girls were sleeping over at his house on June 21st of last year, Zera awakened one of the girls early in the morning by pulling her out of bed, offered her alcohol, and played a porn video on a DVD player. They also allege he touched her on the breasts and buttocks. He then allegedly refused to allow one of the girls to phone her parents.
The girls were not students at the gymnastics school, according to authorities. Sentencing is scheduled for June 1st, when he faces up to two years in jail.
Zera is currently free on $50,000 bail.
