More details are emerging on what may have led a former Naples gymnastics coach to be fired, and later arrested. Moises Renobato, 25, was arrested Tuesday in a sting, after police say he arranged to meet with a minor for sex.
Renobato worked as a gymnastics coach at Rock Star Cheer in East Naples until late 2015, after several girls complained that he was trying to get a little too close, using private messaging on Instagram.
"It was comments about their bikinis, and comments about what he thought of them," said Det. Sgt. Wade Williams of the Collier County Sheriff's Office. "In one case, he wanted to meet one of them alone at the beach."
Those inappropriate comments led to Renobato's firing, according to Williams. It also led a tipster to alert the Collier County Sheriff's Office about Renobato's alleged comments.
"There's a potential for there to be other victims in this case," Williams said.
A detective pretended to be a 14-year-old girl on Instagram and made contact with Renobato, who detectives say sent the officer in disguise a nude photo of himself. He also arranged to meet the girl for sex at a shopping plaza. When Renobato arrived in a taxi, detectives placed him under arrest.
"Some stuff that he has said to us has led us to believe that he has a genuine interest in children, a sexual interest in children," Williams said.
While some find it disturbing that Renobato was in a position to be close to kids, he has no related criminal history that would have shown up in a background check.
"It's very difficult to screen these individuals out, because they manipulate the children, they manipulate the adults around them," said Jackie Stevens of the Children's Advocacy Center. "They manipulate communities."
Stevens and Williams both urge parents to install apps on children's mobile devices to track their social media messages. Williams advises telling the children that the apps are being installed, and why.
