BOONE COUNTY, Ind. — A former Zionsville gymnastics coach was found guilty of three counts of child molestation.
Kenneth Arnold, 33, of Crawfordsville, is accused of molesting a child at an athletic center in Zionsville between January 2014 and December 2016. The victim was under the age of 14 when the alleged assault happened.
The allegations came in 2020 after the victim told about the molestation during counseling and it was reported to police.
“We are extremely happy that we were able to obtain this important verdict for the victim, the victim’s family, and the community. Our job is not finished as we still have a sentencing hearing coming up where we will be advocating for a lengthy sentence," said Heidi Jennings, Special Victim’s Prosecutor.
Arnold's sentencing is set for November.
He had previously been the subject of two investigations in 2016 of other sex crime related charges that were alleged to have happened during the same time period of these charges. Arnold was accused of assaulting three girls, ages 10-12, as they trained at Zionsville’s InterActive Academy.
One of the cases went to trial, and the jury was unable to reach a verdict.
On the second case, a plea agreement was reached after consulting with the parents. As part of that agreement, Arnold was given six and a half years probation after his 10-year prison sentence was suspended. Arnold was also considered a sexually violent predator and ordered to register as a sex offender.
InterActive Academy issued the following statement to families following the guilty verdict:
"InterActive Academy is aware of the trial result returned against a former employee who was terminated nearly 7 years ago, in 2016. Early that year, InterActive Academy communicated openly and directly with our gymnastics family and parents upon first learning of the troubling investigation which ultimately led to criminal charges against this individual. Throughout the years, we have fully cooperated with law enforcement and maintain the utmost respect for those involved in the judicial process. To that end, InterActive Academy cannot offer comment concerning any legal matters or court proceedings."