Former Cheerleading Coach Arrested For Allegedly Molesting Child 'Almost Daily' For 2 Years

East Providence, Rhode Island -- A former cheerleading coach was arrested for allegedly molesting a girl for two years after they met in a competitive cheerleading program in Rhode Island.

The East Providence Police said in a Monday press release that the accused woman, Alyshia Tkacs, was arrested on five counts of first-degree child molestation and two counts of second-degree child molestation.

Tkacs was a “team mother” at Superior Cheer All Stars gym in East Providence when she met the then-12-year-old girl. The victim, who is now an adult, told the police that Tkacs molested her “almost daily” from 2012 to 2014, according to People.

“I do know (redacted) did not want Alyshia with (redacted) but later learned (redacted) continued to meet her at a park where Alyshia gave (redacted) gifts,” Dawn Castonguay, the former owner of the gym that closed down in 2018, told ABC 6 News. “Never thought it was a molestation thing since they were still hanging out after they both left the gym.”

The victim further revealed that the sexual assaults took place in East Providence and Barrington, Lt. Michael Rapoza said. The Barrington Police Department was informed of the victim’s allegations and are conducting their own investigation of the case.

Tkacs was arrested from her home in Cranston on Friday and is being held without bond. She is scheduled to appear for a court hearing Thursday.

The accused woman was working with Care New England Health System, a hospital group in Rhode Island until she was arrested.

In a statement to WPRI, Care New England Health System said Tkacs was suspended in light of the allegations against her.

"Care New England conducted background checks prior to employment and those were clean," the statement said. "She has been suspended indefinitely without pay and denied access to our campus. We take the care and safety of our community very seriously, so we immediately took action when notified."

A similar incident was reported last year after a man, who taught gymnastics for decades, was arrested in Dallas, Texas, for abusing a child. Edouard Iarov, 69, a native of Kazakhstan, was charged at the time with one count of continuous sexual abuse of a child younger than 14.