MADISON (WKOW) – A former Madison-area youth soccer coach has been officially charged with repeated sexual assault of a minor in the Dane County Circuit Court, per a criminal complaint submitted Thursday.
According to the complaint, Daniel Gildea, now living in Round Rock, Texas, repeatedly assaulted a minor from 2012 to 2013, inappropriately touched her under the guise of helping her stretch out an injured knee.
"[The victim] said she would have one leg up on Gildea's shoulder and he would almost lean over her to help stretch her. [Victim] said at first, Gildea would have her put her hand down her own shorts and he would help put his hand over her hand. This changed to him putting his own hand inside her shorts," authorities said in the complaint.
[The victim's] parents said he was close with the family and would have had access to their home during the time of the assaults. She told investigators that the assaults first started when she was 11, and continued for roughly 18 months.
Many of the reported assaults happened at three Oregon parks near [the victim's] home, and occasionally in her family's backyard or basement.
These alleged assaults would happen during every one-on-one training session the victim had with Gildea, which began after she injured her knee on a family ski trip in March 2012. The alleged assaults continued until the victim neared age 13. With her knee no longer needing intense rehabilitation, her relationship with Gildea grew strained.
Gildea's arrest was authorized June 7, but was sealed on court order. According to an affidavit submitted by Dane County Sheriff's Office Detective Cheryl Patty, Gildea is a native of the United Kingdom and first came to the U.S. on a program to place British soccer coaches with American teams.
Patty recommended the warrant be sealed to prevent Gildea from finding out and fleeing the country.
Gildea was a youth soccer coach with Sting Soccer Club in Austin. Sting Soccer Club announced Thursday that Daniel Gildea had been terminated, discrediting the former coach.
According to a news release from club COO Erin Medina, the club learned of the allegations against Gildea Wednesday night and immediately cut ties. Medina said the club holds player safety in the highest regard, prioritizing it above all else.
"The safety and well-being of our players is of the utmost importance here at Sting Soccer, as we pride ourselves in our commitment to the development of our youth!" Medina said in the release.
You can read the full statement below:
The Sting Austin Division has relieved all coaching duties and we have terminated our relationship with Daniel Gildea effective immediately. Sting was informed last evening of a serious situation surrounding Mr. Gildea and, upon learning of the allegations against him and his subsequent arrest, Sting Soccer immediately cut all ties. These allegations involve incidents prior to his affiliation with The Sting Soccer Organization and does not involve any of our Sting players. The safety and well-being of our players is of the utmost importance here at Sting Soccer, as we pride ourselves in our commitment to the development of our youth!
Sting Soccer Club COO Erin Medina
Records show Gildea was a youth soccer coach for Oregon's Soccer Association from July 2008 to November 2014.
Gildea is also prominent on social media with videos of soccer training, tricks and techniques with more than 160,000 Instagram followers.
It is not known when Gildea will appear in a Texas court in connection with proposed extradition to Wisconsin.
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