Isanti man charged for allegedly exposing himself in front of children

A man who worked at a Ham Lake gymnastics studio was arrested Friday after reportedly exposing himself in front of children.

Charging documents from Anoka County show Kyle Pekula, 26, of Isanti is facing a criminal charge of fifth-degree sexual conduct, a misdemeanor charge.

According to the charging document, the incident occurred at 4:47 p.m. at Carrara West Park in Blaine. Blaine police met with a woman and her 12-year-old son, who told officers he had been sitting on a picnic table with his brothers when an adult man approached them.

The man, later identified as Pekula, sat with the kids and began talking with them. Reportedly Pekula then exposed his penis from a leg hole of his shorts and grabbed a Cheeto, asking the kids if they wanted to “feed the animals.” The children said no.

After continuing to talk to the children, Pekula invited them to attend his class at Jam Hops Gymnastic Studio if they got permission from their parents. He then left, walking towards the studio.

Officers went to Jam Hops and met with Pekula, who police said matched the child’s description as an older, heavy-set, short man wearing a T-shirt and shorts.

The documents state that Pekula admitted to being at the park and speaking with children but denied that he had exposed himself.

If found guilty, Pekula faces up to a year in prison and a $3,000 fine. According to the Anoka County Jail roster, Pekula was released Tuesday. His bail was set at $6,000 with no conditions for release or $5,000 with conditions.

His court date is scheduled for Nov. 6.

The president of Jam Hops, Brenda Nolby, provided the following statement:

On September 20, one of our employees, Kyle Pekula, was arrested by the Blaine Police Department on charges of criminal sexual conduct with minors in a public park. Kyle has been terminated and is barred from entering our facility or contacting our students.

Our kids and families are incredibly important to me. Safety is our most important responsibility. We are doing everything we can to help police with this investigation, and we immediately reported this situation to our safety governing body, SafeSport. They are also investigating. 

We have many safety rules, procedures and training programs in place to protect our students. This includes background checks on all employees and background checks every two years for competitive coaches, which included Kyle. 

This incident is deeply troubling. We know this has shaken trust and created concerns among parents and the community, and we are heartbroken this happened. Jam Hops was founded on a passion not only for gymnastics and dance, but also for inspiring kids to be life champions.

We are communicating regularly with parents, continuing to cooperate with law enforcement and working to implement further safety enhancements to ensure we are always creating a safe environment for our gymnasts.