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Unwilling to passively be a victim, a teenager has filed a lawsuit against the Bellevue cheer coach who she claims sexually abused her.
The suit alleges that 50-year-old Brian Antich, who owned and operated Action Athletics, Inc., began to target the teen from the age of 14. And that his gym provided an “unchecked platform” for him to “groom, stalk, sexually exploit, harass, and assault children.”
It is claimed that he engaged in stalking-type behavior through Snapchat, which was the social media application that he required his members to use. Under the guise of practicing cheerleading maneuvers, Antich would put his hand beneath the girl’s shirt or beneath her waistband. This escalated to his placing his hand not only up and down her shorts but under her underwear.
The suit says that he was so emboldened in this type of abuse that when he hired a photographer to take promotional shots, he still continued to sexually assault the teen, and it was these photographs that helped lead to his eventual arrest. He has been charged with two counts of child molestation in the third degree and one count of second-degree sexual misconduct. Antich has been suspended from all contact with minor athletes by the U.S. Center for SafeSport and US All Federation.
Bellevue cheerleading coach charged with molesting teens | The Seattle Times
Bellevue cheer coach facing child molestation charges | king5.com
Karen Koehler, attorney for the teen, says that it should be a no-brainer that pedophiles not be allowed by national organizations to reign unchecked over their gyms and students. Despite what happened and the damaging impact upon her, this teen is fighting back. As strong and as hard as she can.
Plaintiff represented by Karen Koehler and Ruby Aliment of Stritmatter Kessler Koehler Moore