Family sues Zionsville gym where girls were molested

Aug. 13—The parents of a fourth girl who claims her gymnastics coach molested her have filed a civil suit against the coach, the Zionsville gym, and the coach's supervisor.

Kenneth 'Andy' Arnold, 32, of Crawfordsville, pleaded guilty in 2018 to two counts of child molesting and one of battery in relation to his work as a gymnastics coach at InterActive Academy, a recreational complex specializing in gymnastics, dance, swimming and other activities in Zionsville.

He was accused of inappropriately touching three girls, ages 10-12, while he was their coach. So he was already serving six and a half years of probation in that case when police arrested him again in August 2022 on four charges of child molesting.

A girl told police that Arnold also touched her inappropriately during practice and raped her three times in the complex between 2014 and 2016, according to court records. The girl told investigators she did not immediately realize what happened but came to understand the events more recently through therapy, according to a probable cause affidavit.

The identities of the girl and her parents are protected in the civil suit, which lists them as Janet and John Doe, filing on behalf of Jane Doe.

The Does filed their civil suit against InterActive Academy, Arnold, and Kendra Brens, who was Arnold's supervisor. Jane told her parents in February 2021 that Arnold had molested her during the same period that others claimed he molested them.

John and Janet claim InterActive Academy received an allegation that Arnold behaved inappropriately during that period and caused Jane more harm by failing to act on the allegation.

"In or about 2015, InterActive was notified about Arnolds' inappropriate touching of a certain InterActive female student/gymnast, which was documented in Arnold's file with InterActive," the Doe's complaint states.

In response to the complaint, InterActive sent Arnold an email instructing him to set boundaries with students/gymnasts, and he replied with only, "Confirmed," according to the suit.

InterActive placed no limits on Arnold's contact with students and failed to report the allegation to authorities or parents, according to the complaint.

Their lawsuit claims, in part, that the defendants: failed to properly report and investigate a complaint made against Arnold in May, 2015; failed to protect Jane from a known danger; failed to have policies and procedures in place to prevent child sex abuse; failed to adequately inform families and children of the risks of child sex abuse molestation and/or inappropriate sexual contact; and failed to investigate risks of child molestation.

InterActive did not terminate Arnold's employment until 2016 after the Indiana Department of Child Services reported an allegation to the Zionsville Police Department and an investigation began into the first case filed against Arnold, according to the complaint.

The Does did not set a monetary amount they are seeking but said it should be "an amount commensurate with their harms and losses ..."

Brens filed a motion to dismiss the claims against her. Her motion says, in part, "As an employee, Ms. Brens owed no legal duty to the Doe Plaintiffs as to the InterActive Academy's hiring, training, or supervising its employees, as to the company policy making, or as to advising InterActive Academy's customers of dangers on the gymnasium's premises."

The Does have filed an intent to respond to the motion. A trial date has not yet been determined.

Arnold is scheduled for a September trial in the criminal case.

Arnold is considered a sexually violent predator as a result of his conviction. As such, he must register as a sex offender with local police and may not have contact with anyone younger than 16 without court approval.

He was also charged in a sexual misconduct case that ended with a mistrial in 2020 after a Boone County jury could not reach a verdict.

The two charges of sexual misconduct filed in January 2017 involved a 15-year-old girl not connected to his role as a former gymnastics coach. That case ended in a mistrial after a Boone County jury could not reach a verdict.