EAST PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — A former coach at a competitive cheerleading organization has been charged with sexually assaulting a student over a two-year period when the girl was from 12 to 14 years old, police said.
Alyshia Tkacs, 33, of Cranston, faces five counts of first-degree child molestation and two counts of second-degree child molestation, East Providence police said in a statement Tuesday. She is being held pending a bail review scheduled for June 30, according to court records.
An email seeking comment was left with Tkacs’ attorney.
The alleged victim came forward recently and told investigators that the assaults started in 2012 and “continued almost daily” for about two years, police said.
Tkacs was indicted by a grand jury last week.
The investigation is ongoing.
Tkacs, a nurse at Women and Infants Hospital, has been suspended, according to the hospital’s parent company.
“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,” the hospital said.
