advertisement

Gymnastics coach from Palatine accused of sexually assaulting Mundelein teen

A gymnastics coach from Palatine has been accused of sexually assaulting one of his students at a hotel in Lake County.

Kendale L. Coats, 29, of the 900 block of North Sterling Drive, has been charged by the Lake County state's attorney's office with two counts of criminal sexual assault to a victim between 13 and 17, Assistant Lake County State's Attorney Stephen Scheller said.

Coats could be sentenced up to 15 years in prison if found guilty at trial.

Scheller said Coats was working as the victim's coach and knew the girl was 16 when the sexual assault took place.

Libertyville police said in a news release they were contacted Wednesday by Mundelein police for a possible criminal sexual assault at a Libertyville hotel Jan. 11.

An investigation by the Lake County state attorney's office and the Mundelein and Libertyville police departments determined several instances of sexual contact had occurred between the girl from Mundelein and Coats, authorities said.

The news release said Coats is employed by U.S. Gymnastics Training Center in Lake Zurich. Calls to the gym Thursday afternoon went to voicemail.

After being taken into custody, officials said, Coats admitted to having sexual contact with the teen at the Libertyville hotel and on more than one occasion at his residence.

Police tracked down credit card receipts from the hotel where they said the encounter took place, Scheller said. On the receipts, Coats checked in using his first name, Scheller said.

The case remains under investigation.

Coats was being held in Lake County jail on $750,000 bail. He is next due in court Feb. 21.

The gym website at usgtcgym.com says the center had gymnasts qualify for a national competition in 2015 and 2016.

The charges come on the heels of former sports doctor Larry Nassar's being sentenced from 40 to 175 years in prison in Michigan for sexually abusing some of the nation's top gymnasts.

Article Comments
Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.