Alyshia Tkacs former East Providence, Rhode Island female cheerleading coach accused of with molesting 12 year old girl daily for 2 years. Woman working as nurse for Care New England is suspended without pay.
How did it last so long? A former female cheerleading coach in Rhode Island has been charged with child molestation for allegedly sexually assaulting a girl ‘almost daily’ for two years beginning when the child was 12 years old, according to East Providence police.
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 that they uncovered evidence that the victim met Tkacs in 2012 while she was coaching a competitive cheerleading team. The molestation allegedly lasted until 2014. It remained unclear why the victim waited so long before coming forward.
‘The victim reported that the sexual assaults occurred in East Providence and Barrington, R.I. during the two year period and occurred almost daily,’ Lt. Michael Rapoza told WJAR.
Barrington Police have launched their own investigation into the accusations.
Background checks were clean
Tkacs was indicted on five counts of first-degree child molestation and two counts of second-degree child molestation.
Tkacs, a nurse at Women & Infants hospital, which is part of the Care New England network in Providence, has been suspended without pay, according to spokeswoman Raina Smith.
‘Care New England conducted background checks prior to employment and those 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 we immediately took action when notified.’
Veronica Seavey, who went to nursing school with Tkacs, told WJAR in Providence that she was in disbelief over the charges.
‘It just didn’t seem like something that she would do and she had a daughter who is that age,’ Seavey told the media outlet.
‘I had a baby three and half months ago and she was my nurse at Women & Infants,’ Seavey said. ‘You just can’t trust anybody.’
Cheerfactor, a Rhode Island gym where Tkacs’ daughter trains, said in a statement to 12WPRI that the accused child molester has never coached there.
Are there more victims?
‘Please be advised that Alyshia Tkacs has never coached, provided instruction or been employed in any capacity by Cheerfactor or any of its affiliated gyms or programs. Her daughter is a participant, and that is her only affiliation with the program, as a parent of an all-star cheer athlete,’ the gym said.
Police would not say where Tkacs coached, but her Facebook page is full of cheer team competition photos from around the country.
Tkacs is being held in the Cranston Women’s Facility until her next court date on June 23.
Anyone with information about other possible victims is asked to call East Providence police at 401-435-7600, extension 20024.
