A skating coach has been arrested for sexual assault in north Texas, where authorities say he sexually assaulted two athletes he was coaching, including a young child.
Benjamin Shroats was arrested on Tuesday, February 17, at his home in Allen.
The police said the arrests followed a three-day investigation into the alleged sexual assault of two of Shroats’ colleagues. One of them, according to detectives, was under the age of 18 when he was sexually assaulted by Shroats.
Shroats, 47, faces one count of child molestation and one count of sexual abuse.
He is being held on a combined $200,000 bond. Application details are not available on Thursday, February 19.
Police said they will continue to investigate the Shroats and ask that any other potential victims contact them at (214) 509-4200.
The Shroats are well known within the Texas ‘skating community. He previously competed as a pair skater, NBC News reported, and has coached in Collin County for more than a decade.
He also worked with an American figure skater Amber Glenn many years ago – long before he became a 2026 Olympian. Shroats is also a longtime member of the Dallas Figure Skating Club.
The president of the Dallas Figure Skating Club released a statement to FOX 4, saying, “We know stories like this are upsetting, and we want our families to know that we take concerns involving our members and the senior coaches who train them very seriously. The safety and well-being of children is our number one priority.”
“It is also important to clarify the role of the Club. The Dallas Figure Skating Club does not hire, hire, or supervise coaches,” the statement continued. “All coaches who provide private lessons do so as private coaches, and arrangements for lessons are made directly between the families and the coach.” In addition, the Club does not own, operate, or manage any ski resorts.
“We respect the investigative process and trust that the Allen Police Department conducts a thorough investigation and respects the privacy of those involved,” the statement said. “If you have important information, or are concerned about a child who may have had contact with this coach, please contact the Allen Police Department directly for guidance and assistance.”
Amber Glenn will make history at the 2026 Winter Olympic Games in Milan and Cortina, Italy, where she will represent Team USA in figure skating. At 26 years old, Glenn is expected to break the record of becoming the oldest US women’s singles skater to compete in the Olympics in 98 years – and she’s going to be on fire. […]
Glenn, a member of Team USA, gave a disappointing performance in the women’s short figure skating program for the 2026 Winter Olympics.
Glenn, 26, placed 13th in the event on Tuesday, 17 February.
“I got my highest scoring 3Axel,” she captioned the clip as she smiled and danced with laughter. The voice then turned and said, “I’m such a f***ing chud,” to which the surfer kicked the air and threw his hands up.
“Disrupting the final jump and invalidating it,” he wrote in the video. “I’m fine, thanks for asking.”
If you suspect child abuse, please call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or visit ChildHelp.org. All calls are free and confidential, and the hotline is available 24/7 in over 170 languages.
