Former gymnastics coach sentenced for sexual assault
A former gymnastics coach from Clinton Township was sentenced to state prison Tuesday in Allegheny County Court for having inappropriate relationships with three girls.
Keith Callen, 46, of Sarver was sentenced to 13 to 26 years in prison during a hearing Tuesday before Judge Donna Jo McDaniel, according to a news release from the Allegheny County District Attorney's Office.
Callen was found guilty of multiple charges on March 1 after a jury trial, including felony aggravated indecent assault of a person less than 16 years old, aggravated indecent assault of a person less than 13 years old, sexual assault by a sports official, unlawful contact with a minor, corruption of minors, indecent assault of a person less than 13 years old, endangering welfare of children, misdemeanor indecent assault of a person less than 16 years old and misdemeanor corruption of minors.
Callen was charged by state police in April 2016 for molesting a girl from age 14 to 17 while he was her private coach.
Court documents state the charges came after a student reported that Callen improperly touched her on numerous occasions and had sex with her twice — once in the parking lot of an Adams Township gas station, and again in the parking lot of Home Depot in Butler Township. The student was 16 and 17 years old when those incidents allegedly occurred.
Court documents state Callen had been coaching the student since 2010, when she was 12 years old, and had a history of saying inappropriate things and giving inappropriate gifts to the student.
Police said the assaults happened at three different training facilities: Elite Athletic Center in Butler Township; Jewart's Gymnastics in Hampton Township, Allegheny County; and Trinity Gymnastics in West Deer Township, Allegheny County.
More counts were later charged in July 2016 after two other victims came forward and told police Callen molested them in 2001, when they were 6 or 7 years old.
One of the victims reported that Callen and her stepfather sexually assaulted and took nude photographs of her and her older sister more than 16 years ago at their home in Middlesex Township and at Callen's home on Sarver Road.
The girl's stepfather was also charged in that incident and was arrested in 2001 for committing “various sexual acts” with both girls, police said.
During jury deliberations, Callen, who was out of prison on $250,000 bail, was allegedly seen in the hallway holding hands with a 16-year-old gymnastics student, according to a release from the Allegheny County District Attorney's Office.
McDaniel ruled that this was a violation of a no-contact order and revoked his bond, remanding him to Allegheny County Jail.
