Gymnastics coach arrested on child porn charges

A gymnastics coach in Lakeland who teaches adults and children was arrested Tuesday after detectives found more than 20 videos of child pornography on electronic devices at the training complex, according to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office.

The sheriff’s office says it received a tip on Tuesday that 21-year-old Alexander M. Katchalov, a gymnastics coach at Elite World Gymnastics at 5390 State Road 33 N. in Lakeland, was uploading images and videos of child pornography online.

Katchalov’s parents, Mikhail and Irina Katchalov, own the complex and all three coach adults and kids in some capacity with the youngest being 3 years old, detectives said.

Later that day, detectives arrived to the complex with a search warrant and seized electronic devices used by Katchalov and found 21 videos and one image depicting boys and girls between the ages of 3 and 12 years old being sexually battered or displayed in a lewd manner.

"Make no mistake, those who view, possess, buy, and trade child pornography are complicit in the crime against the child depicted in the images. Our primary concern in this investigation is to find out if there are any local victims,” said Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd. “Our forensic experts will be searching the devices we have seized today to determine the scope of illegal material that he possesses or has transmitted.”

Katchalov was arrested and booked into the Polk County jail and faces 22 counts of possession of child pornography, detectives said. The investigation is ongoing and additional charges are pending.

“It makes all of us angry that someone who has regular access to graphic child pornography also has regular access to children. We encourage anyone who has reason to believe that there has been any inappropriate contact between Alexander Katchalov and a child to contact us,” Judd said. “We are committed to protecting our children from those who possess and distribute child pornography. These men are a part of a worldwide underground child pornography distribution system - the demand for this vile material harms children, and ruins lives."

This story was originally published January 31, 2018 at 9:34 AM with the headline "Gymnastics coach arrested on child porn charges."