Donald Vincent, 29, was arrested at his Torrance residence Friday, following a month long investigation. The suspect is accused of repeatedly molesting a young boy for three years. Investigators said the sexual abuse occurred at the suspect's former residence in Hacienda Heights when the now 17-year-old victim was between the ages of 12 and 15 .
The underage victim told sheriff's investigators about the molestation after a youth camp counselor he confided in encouraged him to do so.
Vincent has been charged with three felony counts of lewd acts with a child.
"Our victim confided in a friend at a camp what had happened to him," Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department Lt. Carlos Marquez said. "After that conversation, he was convinced to go ahead and report it to law enforcement."
According to Marquez, sexual predators willl go to great extents to gain access and the opportunity to sexually victimize children.
"When you have people who are attracted to children for any kind of sexual activity, they are going to put themselves in a position where they have contact with the kids and then gain the trust of not only the children but the families of the children," Marquez said.Police believe there may be additional victims as Vincent has been coaching for the last seven years at several local skating rinks in Los Angeles, Riverside, and Orange counties.
The suspect has taught classes at the following skating rinks:
- East/West Ice Palace, Artesia
- Glacial Gardens, Lakewood
- Norwalk Ice, Norwalk (closed)
- Paramount Iceland, Paramount
- Skating Edge Ice Arena, Harbor City
- Anaheim Ice, Anaheim
- Ice Town, Riverside
Deputies are asking parents who may have taken their children to any of these rinks to address the reality of the crime and talk to their children.
"They should first ask their children if they recognize this person, if they talked to this person, if they were ever alone wit this individual, and if anything inappropriate occurred," Marquez said.
Vincent is being held on $1 million bail.
Possible victims or anyone with information regarding the sexual abuse were urged to contact the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department Special Victims Bureau at (877) 710-5273 or the tip line at (800) 222-TIPS.
