Gymnastics coach deemed sexual predator, sentenced to 50 years

Nov. 22—ZIONSVILLE — A gymnastics coach who molested young girls in Zionsville was sentenced Monday to 50 years with the Indiana Department of Correction.

Kenneth 'Andy' Arnold, 34, of Crawfordsville will spend the first 40 years in prison and the remaining 10 under supervised probation.

Arnold is classified as a sexual violent predator, which means he will have heightened restrictions and registry requirements for life after his release from prison, Boone Superior Court II Judge Bruce Petit ruled.

"The defendant has finally been held accountable for the heinous acts he committed," Boone County Prosecutor Kent Eastwood said Monday. "We are grateful for the courage demonstrated by the young victim in this difficult case."

Arnold has thrice been charged with sex crimes against gymnasts who were ages 10-12 between January 2014 and Dec. 2016. The girls were students of the InterActive Academy, a recreational complex specializing in gymnastics, dance, swimming and other activities in Zionsville, where Arnold worked at the time.

A jury was unable to reach a verdict in one case. Arnold reached a plea agreement with the Boone County Prosecutor's Office in another and was serving six and a half years of probation for that conviction in August 2021 when he was hit with four new charges of child molestation.

The victim in that case was abused during the same period and disclosed the abuse after counseling in the fall of 2020.

Petit found Arnold guilty of three counts of child molesting, level 1 felonies, during a bench trial in September.

"These types of cases are extremely difficult to try from both an evidentiary and emotion perspective," Eastwood said in September. "Results such as this are a testament to the dedicated efforts and teamwork consistently displayed by law enforcement and investigative agencies in Boone County."

Eastwood's team for this case also included deputy prosecutors Christina Pace and Heidi Jennings, Director of Victim Services Tracey Christner, Zionsville Police Detective Nick Johnson and Kassie Frazier, director of Sylvia's Child Advocacy Center.