Mom of teen in Knoxville cheer gym sex abuse lawsuit calls coach's arrest a 'huge relief'
The mother of "John Doe," one of the teens at the center of a sex abuse lawsuit filed against 22-year-old Dominick Frizzell, called the cheer coach's arrest on May 20 a "huge relief."
Frizzell appeared in Knox County Criminal Court June 8 to face 19 charges: four counts of solicitation of a minor, nine counts of exploitation of a minor by electronic means, four counts of especially aggravated sexual exploitation of a minor and two counts of statutory rape.
Judge Steve Sword denied a request from prosecutor Ashley McDermott to place Frizzell on house arrest, noting he didn't violate his pretrial release order. Frizzell was ordered to stay away from any place where there might be children. He is monitored electronically.
Frizzell is out of custody on a $100,000 bond. He will return to court Aug. 18 for a status hearing.
John Doe is one of two teen victims in the criminal case, which spans from November 2021 through April 2022. The families of two teens filed a civil lawsuit against Frizzell last fall.
Doe's mother told Knox News the family was notified about the charges "minutes" after Frizzell was taken into custody.
"We are just hoping justice is served," she said.
It has been eight months since attorneys for her son and another boy filed the civil suit against Frizzell, formerly a coach at Premier Athletics West.
Doe was just 14 when he met Frizzell, a "cheerlebrity" on a nationally renowned all-star team before he was hired by Premier Athletics in 2020, Doe's mother told Knox News after the suit was filed.
Frizzell began following the teen on Snapchat in late 2021 and first sent him sexually explicit photos and messages that January, according to the lawsuit filed in September in U.S. District Court in Memphis.
That civil suit will continue to move forward, said Doe's attorney, Bakari Sellers, who attended the hearing. Sellers did not want to comment on the criminal charges.
The lawsuit describes a hypercompetitive and lucrative system that brought a never-ending pipeline of young athletes into an environment that was ripe for potential abuse.
Sellers and the Strom Law Firm have filed multiple lawsuits in other states against cheer gyms that allege institutional failures by national cheerleading organizations responsible for safeguarding the welfare of young athletes. A hearing to determine whether those suits should be consolidated has been conducted, but a ruling is not expected for several weeks, according to court records.
Premier's attorney has said staff members reported all complaints appropriately and eventually fired the coach. Frizzell also was a member of the University of Tennessee cheer team. He was suspended from participation in all spirit activities on Sept. 16 and was dropped from the program Sept. 19.
Liz Kellar is a public safety reporter for Knox News. She can be reached by email at lkellar@knoxnews.com.
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Mom of teen in Knoxville cheer gym lawsuit: Coach's arrest a 'huge relief'
