The 33-year-old Rhode Island cheer coach is facing child molestation charges for sexually assaulting a girl “on a daily basis” for two years, beginning when the alleged victim was 12
- Alyshia Tkacs, 33, of Cranston, Rhode Island, has been charged with seven counts of child molestation
- Her alleged victim came forward months ago, claiming she was regularly assaulted between the ages of 12 and 14
- Tkacs is also a registered nurse at Women & Infants Hospital in Providence, Rhode Island
- She was suspended without pay after news of the harassment allegations broke
According to East Providence Police, a Rhode Island cheer coach has been charged with seven counts of child molestation for allegedly sexually assaulting a girl “almost daily” for two years, beginning when the child was 12.
Alyshia Tkacs, 33, of Cranston, was arrested on June 17 after the alleged victim, who is now an adult, came forward two months ago.
Detectives with the East Providence Police Department said they found evidence the victim met Tkacs in 2012 while she was coaching a competitive cheerleading team. The harassment reportedly lasted until 2014.
Alyshia Tkacs, 33, of Cranston, was arrested on June 17 after the alleged victim, who is now an adult, came forward two months ago
“The victim reported that the sexual assaults occurred in East Providence and Barrington, RI, during the two-year period and occurred on an almost daily basis,” said Lt. Michael Rapoza.
Barrington Police have launched their own investigation into the allegations.
Tkacs has been charged with five counts of first degree child abuse and two counts of second degree child abuse.
Tkacs, a nurse at Women & Infants Hospital, part of the Care New England network in Providence, was suspended without pay, spokeswoman Raina Smith said.
Tkacs has been charged with five counts of first degree child abuse and two counts of second degree child abuse.
Tkac’s Facebook page is full of photos of her at competitions across the country where she coaches young girls
Tkacs (pictured left with her daughter) at Disneyland in Orlando, Florida, where they went to a cheer competition
Tkacs (left, pictured here a cheer coach with her daughter) is said to have molested the victim “almost daily” for two years while the victim was between the ages of 12 and 14
“Care New England conducted background checks prior to hiring and they were clean. She has been suspended indefinitely without pay and denied access to our campus,” Smith said. “We take the care and safety of our community very seriously, so when notified, we acted immediately.”
Veronica Seavey, who went to nursing school with Tkacs, told WJAR in Providence that she couldn’t believe the charges.
“It just didn’t seem like something she would do, and she had a daughter that age,” Seavey told the news channel.
“I had a baby three and a half months ago and she was my nurse at Women & Infants,” Seavey said. “You just can’t trust anyone.”
Cheerfactor, a Rhode Island gym where Tkacs’ daughter trains, said in a statement to Channel 10 NBC News that the accused child molester has never trained there.
“Please note that Alyshia Tkacs has never been trained, taught or employed in any capacity by Cheerfactor or any of its affiliated gyms or programs. Your daughter is a participant, and that is her only affiliation with the program as the parent of an All-Star Cheer Athlete,” the gym said.
Police wouldn’t say where Tkacs trained, but her Facebook page is full of photos from cheer team competitions from around the country.
Tkacs is being held at Cranston Women’s Facility until her next court date on June 23.