A Silver Spring swim instructor is charged with sexually assaulting two children during private swimming lessons, according to the Prince George’s County Police Department (PGPD).
Tyler Wang’Ombe-Gichuru, 25, is charged with two counts of second-degree rape, as well as many sexual assaults and violations, according to the PGPD.
Wang’Ombe-Gichuru assaulted two children under the age of ten during private swim lessons, according to the agency’s Child and Vulnerable Adult Abuse Unit (CVAA). According to police, the victims’ family hired the suspect to educate the children at a community center in Upper Marlboro on July 22.
The father of a 7-year-old girl and a 5-year-old boy told 7News that Gichuru, whom he had hired to teach his children to swim, sexually attacked them during and after the lesson while the father sat nearby.
“I think he was brazen and targeted because he wasn’t afraid that a parent was also present,” said the father
To protect the identity of the man’s children, 7News will not reveal his name. But he decided to talk. He is enraged and feels deceived by Gichuru.
“This is not his first rodeo,” said the man, “because he was trusting..he had the modus operandi. He knew how to get you to trust him.”
According to police, Wang’Ombe-Gichuru does not work at the community center; however, he does work at a trampoline park in Laurel, where he met the victims’ families. Police expressed concern about how Gichuru met the victims’ families, as his employment at the trampoline park and his previous job as a lifeguard and swim teacher for a pool management company gave him access to many youngsters; this is particularly alarming given his criminal record, which includes prison time for a gun-related offense.
According to authorities, a relative of the two children contacted PGPD to report the violations.
Lt. Michael Snyder, commander of the PGPD child abuse section, said he wanted to send a message to parents who have had contact with the suspect.
“Talk to their children to find out if anything inappropriate or anything even remotely inappropriate has happened, and please contact us, and we will have further conversations with them,” Snyder said.
Maryland law prohibits criminal background checks prior to conditional employment offers. The lawyer for the pool management firm refused to tell 7News’ Brad Bell whether they conducted a background check on Gichuru. The trampoline park’s owner denied having done one.
Wang’Ombe-Gichuru is being held without bond, and CVAA detectives are asking for anyone with information on the inquiry.
The father of the accused victims stated that he seeks justice.
“He uses the trust from being a swim instructor to get closer to kids and the law should take him away,” the man said.
