DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — A former Daytona Beach cheerleading coach who was arrested after police say he exposed himself over video chats to some of his students will likely spend the rest of his life in prison.
Erick Joseph Kristianson, 46, was convicted on Tuesday on 23 counts by a California jury for molesting 10 girls at a summer camp in the early 2000s.
He faces 165 years to life in prison, according to a press release from the Orange County, CA District Attorney.
“For decades, Erick Kristianson used cheerleading gyms in Orange County and across the country as a kind of perverted catalog from which to select the next young girl he was going to molest,” District Attorney Todd Spitzer said. “He was hiding in plain sight, a trusted coach banking on the fact that he could trust his young victims not to say anything about the abuse they were enduring… This conviction ensures that these young women have a voice to speak out against the sexual abuse they endured as children.”
Kristianson’s fall began in Florida when he was arrested in 2022. Police said he performed sexual acts on himself while on a FaceTime call with the victims, who he taught at Champion Elite Academy.
It was then discovered that he inappropriately touched a 13-year-old.
California authorities said women began coming forward to them about Kristianson after they read news reports. The girls he’s convicted of molesting in places like his home, non-sanctioned cheer events and at the beach ranged in age from nine to 16 years old.
Kristianson still faces child sex charges for his alleged Florida crimes. The case was on hold while he was being tried on the West Coast.
He’s expected to be sentenced in March.
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