Gymnastics Coach Accused of Molesting Female Student In Front of His Own Child

A Texas gymnastics coach has been arrested and accused of sexually molesting a teenage female student, once even in front of his own child.

Robert Thomas Kotara, a personal trainer for teens interested in cheerleading and gymnastics, was charged with sexual assault of a minor over a period of several years starting in 2017 when the girl was only 16.

BREAKING: San Antonio police arrested a local cheer coach on a charge of sexual assault of a child.

This is a 2005 mugshot of Robert Kotara.

He’s accused of sexually assaulting one of his students. #Kens5Eyewitness pic.twitter.com/b6hhWJMh84

— Mariah Medina (@MMedinanews) January 11, 2020

The victim told investigators that the 33-year-old coach first began assaulting her when she was 16 and it soon became a “a regular occurrence,” the San Antonio Express-News reported.

The now 18-year-old victim added that the coach, who worked at a local San Antonio, Texas, gym, once drove her to a hotel, got her drunk, and molested her, and that the coach even molested her when she was babysitting the coach’s child.

Police also said that another coach swore in an affidavit that he saw the girl sitting naked on Kotara’s lap in his office. That same witness also allegedly showed police text messages from 2018, when he confronted Kotara about his behavior with the teen.

The victim also told police she tried to break off communications with Kotara, but he continued contacting her via email and other modes.

Kotara also faces separate charges of theft for allegedly breaking into a rival gym and stealing equipment that he later tried to sell. He is accused of theft of between $30,000 and $150,000 in that case.

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