Former coach accused of having sexual relationship with underage gymnast

POLK COUNTY, Fla. (TCN) — A former coach faces charges after allegedly having a sexual relationship with a gymnast when she was younger than 16.

The Polk County Sheriff’s Office said the investigation began as a missing person case. Authorities were reportedly trying to find the victim, who is now an adult, after she failed to partake in a court-ordered detox program.

According to the sheriff’s office, detectives found the victim at 28-year-old Alexander Katchalov’s home. The victim used to take gymnastics classes at Elite World Gymnastics, where Katchalov used to work and coach her.

Katchalov had previously been convicted of possession of photograph showing sexual performance of a child from a 2017 case, and he was already designated as a sexual offender and on felony sexual probation. Authorities noted that “the victim in the latest allegations against Katchalov was not a victim in his child pornography case.”

Investigators spoke with the victim after finding her at Katchalov’s home, and she reportedly said she had a sexual relationship with him when he was her coach. Katchalov allegedly denied her claim, but he eventually said he “had sexual intercourse with her two times when she was 15, and it happened two weeks apart.”

According to the sheriff’s office, Katchalov used an unreported internet messaging system, violating his probation, and he also had an unregistered online gaming account.

The Polk County Sheriff’s Office arrested Katchalov on July 16, and he was charged with two counts of lewd battery, failure to comply with sex offender registration, and violation of probation.

Katchalov was previously held in Florida State Prison between Sept. 30, 2021, to Aug. 24, 2022, following his conviction of child pornography possession, and his probation was supposed to expire on Aug. 23, 2029.

Sheriff Grady Judd said, “Given this former gymnastic coach’s deviant background, it is possible that there could be more victims out there. If he has victimized anyone else, we want them to contact our detectives in the Polk County Sheriff’s Office Special Victims Unit. He has a horribly twisted attraction to children, and he needs to be locked away.”

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