ELIZABETHTOWN, N.Y. -
New York prosecutors say a former Olympic ice skater and father of one - is a child sex offender.
50 year old Genrikh Sretenski who competed in the 1988 games was in court to face very serious charges today.
Sretenski was an ice skating star in 1988; he took fourth place in the Olympic games for the Soviet Union. Friday, Sretenski walked out of court an accused sex offender... hand in hand with his wife. In the courtroom, she sat right next to his attorney who aggressively defended the ice dancer and pleaded not guilty to one felony and two misdemeanors of sexual abuse.
"He is not guilty, that's what you need to know," his attorney said.
Sretenski had nothing to say outside of court. Police say Sretenski put his hands and mouth on a 16 year old girl's breasts without her consent. According to reports, it was a teen he was training for the Ice Dancing Championships in Lake Placid in July of last year.
Prior to what police are calling forcible touching and child endangerment, the Wall Street Journal reports that the former Olympian sent the teen hundreds of text messages, professing his love.
I reached out to police and the district attorney, but in an effort to protect the victim, they won't confirm that text messages were sent. In court, the former skater was dressed in street clothes, cuffed hands behind his back and spoke to the judge in a thick Russian accent. Sretenski is originally from Moscow, but was arrested in his - now, home state of Maryland as a fugitive from justice. He spent a week in jail and then was given 72 hours to surrender to New York State Police.
Sretenski was released on a 50-thousand dollar bond - he's due back in court in December to stand trial. He's looking at two to seven years in prison.
