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LAKELAND (FOX 13) - A 21-year-old gymnastics coach accused of downloading child pornography for years just went before a judge after being arrested Tuesday night.
The judge set bond for Alexander “Sasha” Katchalov at $120,000.
Katchalov was a coach at his parents' business, Elite World Gymnastics, on State Road 33 in Lakeland, as well as an international competitor.
A woman, who wants to remain anonymous, says she has lost confidence in the gym and is going to pull her 5-year-old daughter out immediately.
“We’re just going to take a break,” she told FOX 13. “If she wants to go to gymnastics again, we’ll just go somewhere else.”
Another local mom says she is keeping her two daughters in the program.
Neither one said they saw any red flags or picked up any bad vibes from Katchalov.
On Wednesday, his family issued a statement. In part, it read, “We’re as blindsided as the rest of you were. He will not be returning to the gym in any capacity."
Detectives say Katchalov confessed and says he has been downloading child porn showing kids as young as 3 years old for the last seven years.
LINK: Sheriff: Gymnastics coach admits to years of downloading child porn
However, law enforcement says there is no indication that Katchalov was ever inappropriate with any of the kids at Elite.