CARLSBAD — Police have arrested a former North County dance instructor after three former students came forward and alleged he sexually abused them at a Carlsbad dance studio when they were teenagers.
The Carlsbad Police Department arrested 39-year-old Ledarnay Luckie Fontenette, known as Darnay Luckie, of Encinitas, on April 29 following an investigation into a woman’s abuse allegations.
According to Carlsbad police, they received a report from an adult woman in December that Fontenette had sexually abused her during her teenage years while attending Carlsbad Performing Arts Academy.
During their investigation, detectives identified two other women who reported being similarly abused while attending dance classes at the same studio as teenagers.
Investigators confirmed that Fontenette worked at Carlsbad Performing Arts Academy and the DanceFX studio in San Marcos between 2011 and 2017. He also confirmed to police that he worked at several studios during this time.
“The investigation remains ongoing. Detectives believe there may be additional victims who have not yet been identified,” Carlsbad Police Department said in a statement.
Fontenette was featured in a March 2024 interview with SD Voyager about his hairstyling business, LuckieStyles hair salon in Solana Beach, where he said he transitioned into hair and cosmetology after working as a professional dancer.
In the interview, Fontenette said backstage experiences cutting hair for fellow dancers inspired him to pursue hairstyling as a career, describing the work as “more than just hair” and a way to “connect and relate to one another.”
Carlsbad Performing Arts Academy said in a statement to community members on Friday that Fontenette has not worked at the academy in over eight years, and assured families that the safety of dancers is their top priority.
“This individual has not been a part of our dance community here for years. Due to the timeline of this allegation, we don’t believe any current students at CPAA were affected by this. However, if you have any information on this specific allegation, please reach out to the authorities,” the academy said.
The dance school also said the studio performs background checks on all employees, installs and maintains cameras in all studios, and monitors all classes.
The Coast News has reached out to the Carlsbad Police Department and the San Diego County District Attorney’s Office for more information and will update this story with any additional details.
Anyone with information related to this case is encouraged to contact Detective Paige Haar of the Carlsbad Police Department at 760-579-2824 or [email protected].
If you or someone you love has been sexually assaulted or abused, you can reach out to RAINN’s Sexual Assault Hotline by calling 800-656-HOPE or texting HOPE to 64673, or visit rainn.org/help-and-healing/hotline.
