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Cheer/dance coach arrested on sex charges
A coach of a popular dance and cheerleading training center was arrested Tuesday on sex allegations involving one of her 16-year-old students.
Mishelle L. Robinson, 29, of Newton Falls, was booked into the Summit County Jail on two counts of sexual battery on a juvenile, officials said.
Robinson was a coach for the boy she is accused of having sexual contact with, said Capt. Larry Momchilov of the Summit County Sheriff’s Department.
He would not elaborate on the what alleged conduct took place. He said that the incidents outlined in the charges did not occur at the training center.
She could not be reached for comment.
Robinson is head coach and choreographer of the junior elite and senior advanced teams at the Northeast Ohio All-Stars and American Pro Cheer on Tabs Road.
According to the business’ Web site, Robinson has been on staff for eight years. It says she also attends Kent State University, where she is majoring in nursing.
Robinson was suspended Sept. 7 when a detective came to the business to talk to her about the accusations, business owner Keith Johnston said recently. He said that no detectives or parents had talked to him beforehand.
But the company felt it necessary to take action.
“Basically, it’s a situation where allegations have been made, and we’ve taken the necessary steps to address that at this time,” he said.
Johnston did not say what the coach is accused of having done, but he said she would have been on her own time and not at the facility or on company time.
“We were off-season here, and (what she’s accused of) did not happen here,” he said. “We didn’t do anything wrong. We are still good people, and we do a lot of good here.”
The Web site for the All-Stars says that area high school cheerleading and dance teams train for competitions at the facility. “Our coaching staff is second to none! They are the most experienced and talented group in the state,” it says.
The American Pro Cheer part of the business started in 1990, and the NEO All-Stars portion began in 1992. The All-Stars won the Cheerleaders of America National Championship the next year, and since then has won nearly 250 national titles, the Web site states.
You can reach Repository writer Lori Monsewicz at (330) 580-8309 or e-mail:
lori.monsewicz@cantonrep.com
The Web site for the Northeast Ohio All-Stars Cheer and Dance Teams can be found at:
http://www.neoallstars.com
Here’s how you can help protect your kids
Parents can never be 100 percent sure that a child or teen is safe from harm outside the home.
Here are some precautions:
Don’t leave children in the care of people you don’t know at all.
Judge how your child’s friends behave before allowing your child to visit a friend’s house. Insist on meeting the friend’s parents.
Talk with the other child’s parent about what activities are planned while your child is with them. Do they plan to be in the home or at the activity the entire time, or is it their habit to drop off the children? Make sure the parent’s rules for supervision match yours.
In sporting events, do not leave your children with a coach you are not familiar with.
Don’t allow your child to travel with someone you do not know. Don’t allow someone’s position to influence whom you allow to care for your child.
Teach your child what kind of interaction with an adult is appropriate, and what kind is not.
Be alert for subtle hints that things aren’t quite right.
Have a close, open relationship with your child so that he or she will talk to you about things that may be embarrassing or confusing.
Don’t leave your child alone with a coach for extended periods of time. Groups are safer.
When considering sporting events travel, be clear about who your child will be with. Will others be around? Where are they staying, and who is chaperoning?
Ask a formal organization — school, church, extracurricular program and formal sporting events — what kind of background checks they do on hired staff and volunteers.
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