Former East Providence cheerleading coach held without bail after allegedly molesting pupil almost daily

EAST PROVIDENCE, RI – On Friday, the East Providence Police Department reports the arrest of a Rhode Island woman on five counts of First-Degree Child Molestation and two counts of Second-Degree Child Molestation. The charges stem from an investigation that began last month by members of the East Providence Police Department’s Special Victims Unit. Detectives learned that the victim, who is now an adult, was repeatedly molested by Tkacs over a two-year period. The alleged assaults occurred when the victim was 12 to 14 years old.

33-year-old Alyshia Tkacs, formerly of East Providence, was a coach for a competitive cheerleading organization when the victim met her in 2012. The victim reported that the sexual assaults occurred in East Providence and Barrington, RI during the two-year period and occurred almost daily. The Barrington Police Department was notified of the victim’s allegations and are conducting their own investigation into potential crimes that may have occurred in their town.

Detective Michael Spremulli presented the case to the grand jury where they indicted Tkacs on seven charges of child molestation. Cranston Police Department assisted with taking Tkacs into custody at her new residence in Cranston. Tkacs was held without bail at her arraignment. Her next court appearance will be on June 23, 2022. Anyone with information about other possible victims is urged to contact Detective Spremulli at 401-435-7600, extension 20024.

Amanda Pitts – WPRI Facebook photo.