ST. HELENS, Ore. — A former youth cheer coach in St. Helens is facing sex abuse charges. Police are concerned there may be more victims.
St. Helens police arrested 27-year-old Anthony Trenkler on Sept. 6, following a three-week investigation. Investigators "lured" Trenkler to McMichael Street and took him into custody, St. Helens police said.
Trenkler is charged with two counts of sex abuse in the first degree and four counts of attempted sex abuse in the first degree. He appeared in court on Monday and pleaded not guilty.
The investigation started on Aug. 13 after Trenkler was reported while he was working as a coach at Vault Elite, which teaches competitive cheer and tumbling to youth between the ages of 3 and 17. Trenkler has coached at Vault Elite for 15 years and is the only male among the three coaches on staff.
It's unclear where each of the alleged incidents happened. Ashley Winn, whose daughter owns Vault Elite, believes some of the abuse took place in a storage loft above the gym floor.
"In the cheer world, it’s very hands-on, so this would be a culture where it could happen. Our coaches are hands-on, so if someone had ill intent, they could do it," Winn explained.
However, the gym takes numerous safety measures to try and prevent that from happening, including hanging completed background checks of each coach and full-time volunteers on the front desk, as cameras around the gym.
The upstairs loft is now closed, and there is soon to be a light system to the bathroom to show when it's occupied. There is also a gym policy to never allow coaches to be alone with a student unless during a team practice.
"We were devastated," Winn said of hearing about the investigation. "It came out of left field because he was so loved. We trusted him, and we’ve had him in our home; it seems out of character, but we don’t know... My grandkids, they were exposed to him, too."
St. Helens police did not release any other details but said more victims were located once the investigation began. Detectives executed a search warrant and "seized additional evidence," St. Helens police said, though they did not go into further detail about what the evidence was. Police are expected to give another update on the investigation soon.
According to charging documents, between Jan. 1, 2024, and Aug. 13, 2024, Trenkler is accused of inappropriately touching three children under the age of 14 and attempting to make them inappropriately touch him.
In a post on Facebook on Aug. 14, Vault Elite acknowledged "abuse allegations" against one of their former coaches, though they did not provide the name of the coach.
"Vault Elite has terminated this (coach's) contract and we are fully cooperating with local law enforcement to ensure our athletes are safe. He will no longer be allowed in our gym and our (athletes') safety remains our top priority," the Facebook post said.
Vault Elite also said in the post that classes and camps were canceled, and a meeting for parents was held on Aug. 15. Classes resumed on Sept. 9, according to Vault Elite.
"We want the focus to be on finding out the truth and having all the victims, if there are more, come forward; that’s our focus," Winn said.
Since Trenkler was arrested, Winn said about three-quarters of the students have left, and the owner has faced major community backlash.
"My daughter looks at all the different kids in the gym like they’re her own, so there’s that layer and then the impact that it’s having on her emotionally and the gym the viability of the gym," Winn said.
A preliminary hearing for Trenkler is scheduled on Sept. 16. Per the judge's order, he is not allowed around minors.
Investigators believe there could be additional victims. Anyone with information about Trenkler is asked to call St. Helens police detectives at 503-397-1521.
If you or someone you know have experienced sexual assault and need support, help is available. You can contact the Sexual Assault Resource Center at 503-626-9100. They are located at 4900 Southwest Griffith Drive Suite 135, Beaverton, OR 97005. The Rape, Abuse, Incest National Network (RAINN) National Sexual Assault Hotline can be reached at 800-656-HOPE (4673) or rainn.org. It is available 24/7.