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Youth Gymnasts Allege Coach Sexually Assaulted Them in Practice Sessions

A Missouri man who worked as a volunteer at a gymnastics center has been accused of touching three of his former young female students in a sexual manner.

David Schneider, a father and former volunteer sports coach for children, held the position of a gymnastics coach at the Kids in Motion gym between 2011 and 2014. Three of the girls he instructed while working there have reported incidents where Schneider allegedly touched them in an inappropriate way while they were stretching and doing the splits. The girls were age 7 or 8 at the time of the alleged assaults.

On January 9, one of the victims contacted authorities and told them that during a move that Schneider called “oversplits” his hand slipped under her shorts and between her legs while he was assisting her. She said she decided to come forward after she currently began feeling that the way she was touched did not seem as if it was proper.

After the first girl reported the incident two other youngsters came forward and said that Schneider had put his hands inside of their clothing while they practiced the splits, and one of them stated that they had seen the occurrence when he touched the first girl.

On Tuesday Schneider was charged with three felony counts of child molestation and was booked into jail on a cash-only $100,000 bond.

41-year-old Schneider spent several years coaching children at different sports facilities and he was given a Friend of Youth Award by the Washington Optimist Club.

According to police reports Schneider explained that he did touch the girls, but it was unintentional and that it was the results of a mixture of moisture and sweat which caused his hands to slip.

If you or someone you love is suspected of child molestation, contact Orange County criminal defense lawyer Staycie R. Sena at (949) 477-8088 for a consultation now.

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