2025-08-20T09:17:15Z

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Hold onto your hats, because the shocking tale of a gymnastics coach turned criminal is about to unfold! Sean Gardner, a former coach at a youth gymnastics center in Iowa, was recently arrested after a disturbing investigation uncovered a vast collection of child pornography in his home.

This unsettling story starts with Gardner, 38, who was taken into custody by the FBI. The investigation kicked off after multiple accusations of sexual abuse against young athletes at Chow’s Gymnastics and Dance Institute in West Des Moines, Iowa, a prestigious center known for training Olympic champions like Shawn Johnson and Gabby Douglas.

Agents found hundreds of images depicting children, triggering widespread outrage and heartbreak. According to the FBI, Gardner didn’t just keep this horrific collection to himself; he primarily targeted children across gyms in Iowa, Mississippi, and Louisiana during his decade-long coaching career until 2014.

The roots of this investigation stretch back to March 2022, when a brave gymnast reported inappropriate conduct to the US Center for SafeSport, an organization dedicated to addressing sexual abuse in Olympic sports. The young athlete revealed that Gardner had touched her inappropriately during practice and hurled degrading insults at her and others, calling them names like “idiots, sluts, and whores.”

Gardner was suspended by SafeSport in July 2022 due to these serious allegations, and Chow’s Gymnastics promptly terminated his coaching position. Although the first gymnast hesitated to pursue charges, the wheels of justice slowly began to turn. By April 2024, another young gymnast came forward with her own haunting experiences. She began working with Gardner at just 11 or 12 years old, viewing him as a father figure. Tragically, she recounted how he crossed boundaries during lessons, made her perform uncomfortable stretches, recorded her on his phone, and even discussed his personal sex life.

These harrowing testimonies ultimately led police to obtain a warrant for Gardner's home, allowing them to search for further evidence. In May 2024, officers seized several electronic devices, revealing hundreds of disturbing images and videos of young girls aged between 6 and 14. To make matters worse, investigators suspect that some of this footage was captured using a hidden camera at Jump’In Gymnastics in Purvis, Mississippi, over the period of 2017 to 2018. During their search, they also discovered handwritten notes exchanged between Gardner and former students, raising further alarm.

As this chilling story continues to unfold, one can only hope that justice will be served for the innocent children affected by Gardner's actions.