According to police, former Rhode Island cheerleading coach Alyshia Tkacs was detained for child abuse almost 10 years ago. She said the victim was between 12 and 14 years old at the time. The abuse reportedly began in 2012 and continued for two years.
According to a statement from East Rhode Island Police, the 33-year-old man has been charged with five counts of child molestation in the first degree and two counts of child molestation in the second degree, based on the testimony of the now-adult victim.
The victim described her ordeal to authorities, saying that Tkacs abused her “almost every day.” Immediately after the revelation, the police began to investigate the circumstances of the incident.
Lieutenant Michael Rapoza said of the incident:
“Victims reported almost daily assaults in East Providence and Barrington, RI for two years.”
After nearly a month of searching, police finally detained Tkacs at her Cranston home. Authorities argued that the accused would not be currently in prison if the victim had not chosen to come forward.
Rhode Island: Former cheerleading coach Alyshia Tkacs has been arrested on charges of child molestation.
The girl, now an adult, told police that Tkacs had molested her almost every day for two years. At that time, the girl was between 12 and 14 years old.https://t.co/g5BNofh0rk pic.twitter.com/I49GHrbnAm
— Complex nerves (@ToriaMart) June 22, 2022
In response to Alyshia Tkacs’ crime, “She had a daughter of that age”
These allegations distracted Veronica Seavey, who knew Tkacs in nursing school.
In an interview with news outlet WJAR, Seavey said:
“It just didn’t seem like something to do, and I had a daughter my age.”
At the Superior Cheer All Stars gym in East Providence, Alyshia Tkacs oversaw a team of competitive cheerleaders. In 2018, the factory was closed.
However, the gym where the incident occurred claimed that they were unaware of the abuse.
Gym owner Dawn Castonguay said in a statement:
“I never thought it was sexual harassment because the two were still hanging out after they left the gym.”
Tkacs was employed by the Care New England Health System in Rhode Island at the time of his arrest. The hospital sent the following statement to WPRI-TV:
“Care New England did a background check before hiring and it was clean. She was suspended indefinitely without pay and was denied access to our campus. We take the care and safety of our community very seriously, so we took action as soon as we were notified.”
A grand jury brought seven child molestation allegations against Tkacs. According to police sources, she was ordered to be detained without bail by a judge.
Alyshia Tkacs’ next trial date is June 23, but no decision has been made yet. According to her online records, she does not have a lawyer.
Anyone with information on more Tkacs victims is urged to contact Detective Spremulli at (401) 435-7600 ext. According to the police in 20024.
