Shane Weaver Charged: ‘Respectable’ Martial Artist Shocks a Community
Posted by James in x In The NewsJul 29th, 2009 | 6 responsesIn this past weekend’s news report, a local martial arts instructor from Grimsby, Ontario, by the name of Shane Weaver, was officially charged with sexual exploitation of a 16-year old girl (one of his students). Unconfirmed rumours have additionally speculated that Mr. Weaver may have been blackmailing the girl. Pretty serious charges.
Without knowing all of the details, it’s best not to pass any sort of judgment too soon. On the surface, Shane Weaver certainly talks the talk. He is a lifetime martial artist who over the years, has continuously preached about character building and strong personal values.
So what’s next for Mr. Shane Weaver? I guess that’s for the courts and families to decide.
——————–
I would like to thank those of you who may have already visited my site, and if you have, you may have noticed a slight change to this particular article.
To be clear, when I originally set out to write about this incredibly unfortunate situation, I was, like many, very upset. As a teacher, a coach, a martial arts instructor and a parent of a 17-year old daughter, I felt completely betrayed on so many different levels. I allowed my personal feelings and anger towards this situation to cloud my better judgment, which is to never kick a man while he is down.
It was not my intention to be unfair to Mr. Weaver or to hurt those who may be close to him (I am sure that they are hurting enough already).
In my only experiences with Mr. Weaver, I can only best describe them as disappointing. I am a big believer in first impressions and the impression that Mr. Weaver left on me was not a good one. I lost much respect for him after meeting him. Despite that however, I do recognize that Mr. Weaver has no doubt made a positive difference in the lives of many people and in his community. He should be commended for that.
With that being said, I sincerely hope that the accusations laid against Mr. Weaver are not true. I don’t think that the families, the community or the many friends of Mr. Weaver can stand the sadness of knowing that their respected role-model forgot his obligation and promise to always protect his students. When you take the responsibility of teaching young children, you have very little room for error.
I would like to thank blogger “Jon” for showing me the error in my judgment.
Best regards.
James Ryan
6 Responses to “Shane Weaver Charged: ‘Respectable’ Martial Artist Shocks a Community”
Leave a Reply
About Me
This guy is a degenerate loser. I have met him on numerous occasions and all he's ever tried to do is sleep with other men's girlfriend's or wives. He is a dispicable person and should be charged
Honestly? I'm a student of his, and you're not the first person to say this…I don't know what to believe anymore…
UPDATE AUGUST 2010
Martial arts teacher pleads guilty to harassing woman
Posted By Karena Walter, Standard Staff
Posted 4 days ago
A Grimsby martial arts teacher pleaded guilty to criminal harassment Friday, in a case involving a woman with whom he once had an intimate relationship.
Shane Weaver, 36, will be sentenced Sept. 20 after admitting he engaged in threatening conduct, causing the woman to fear for her safety.
Assistant Crown attorney Tom Jacob said the Smithville man, a black belt martial arts instructor, met the woman through his Christie St. school.
When she was 18, they began an intimate relationship that included taking sexually explicit photos with mutual knowledge and consent.
After the relationship was over, Weaver approached the woman on July 23, 2009 with a typed letter and the explicit photos, suggesting she’d have to meet him or her social status would be ruined.
She went to the police and Weaver acknowledged what had happened.
Police searched his computer and found a video presentation that contained threats to the woman, her status and her reputation. It contained photos of her in sexual poses.
Jacob made the letter an exhibit, as well as captions from a powerpoint presentation found on the computer.
“Given the history between the two, the letter tendered and the captions, it would cause (the woman) concern for her safety,” Jacob said.
The woman’s identity is protected under a publicaton ban imposed by the court.
Weaver was originally charged with sexual exploitation, because it was believed the woman was under 18. The charge is laid in cases involving minors whether the contact is consensual or not.
Weaver operates Red Griffin Martial Arts in Grimsby and won the business award of excellence from the chamber of commerce in 2007. He’s also given anti-bullying talks at public schools, talking about his experiences being bullied as a child and how he turned them into a positive.
He’s also given anti-bullying talks at public schools, talking about his experiences being bullied as a child and how he turned them into a positive.
LOL…Scary.
Sexual exploitation, extortion charges dropped against Sensei Shane Weaver
Local News
Posted 3 days ago
A Grimsby martial arts school owner and instructor has endured what he calls a “brutal chapter” in his life.
On Friday, August 13 charges of Sexual Exploitation that had been laid as a result of accusations by a former employee were dropped against Shane Weaver.
Weaver did plead guilty to Harassment as part of the deal to have an Extortion charge dropped. He will be sentenced for that on September 20, 2010.
The Grimsby martial artist was elated that the end was in sight for the ordeal that has gone on more than a year.
He says the ordeal has made him stronger and a better person. He is also happy that so many people supported him throughout the past year.
“Those who knew the facts of the situation did not jump to conclusions and pull their children out of my martial arts school,” he said Wednesday.” They did not verbally attack me or my character in social circles. Instead they offered support, stood by my side and in the end, saw that they were right to do so.”
Weaver is disappointed that not everyone supported him though. He says he was forced out of his Rotary Club, not allowed to attend his church in Beamsville, or to assist in community functions or speak at local schools.
He says people talked about the charges on various Internet forums and many discussions took place about what he calls “nasty things” that should be done to him.
Weaver has kept a thriving studio throughout the last year, and he credits his loyal clients, fans and family for that.
He’s particularly bitter about media coverage that took place about the charges leveled against him.
He says the most damaging report was done by a local tv station that he says misrepresented the facts and misled the public. In the report, the anchorperson reported that police had seized a hard drive that contained “compromising” photos of a 17 year-old girl. An examination by the Technological Unit of the Niagara Regional Police confirmed that evidence never existed.
Because of that news report, Weaver had to be put in solitary confinement at the Niagara Detention Centre because of death threats from other prisoners.
He says the police conducted a fishing trip through the media to look for other potential “victims” of Weaver’s. No other complaints were made about him.
Since the first day of the investigation, Weaver says he fully co-operated with the police, and has always maintained the allegations about sexual exploitation were untrue.
He says that after all the negative publicity, he has still seen a unique demonstration of home town sentiment that has been extremely positive. He says those who know him have shown a tremendous amount of support. Weaver’s Studio, Red Griffin Martial Arts received the Readers’ Choice Award for 2010. He says that although bail conditions prevented him from participating in the Chamber of Commerce as a director, the board, the staff and members of the business community always considered him innocent until proven guilty.
Read:
http://mrjamesryan.com/2010/09/05/grimsby-martial-arts-instructor-shane-weaver-speaks-remorseful-or-bitter/