Former Georgia cheerleader shares story after coach’s guilty plea

Summary

• The 19-year-old former cheerleader is speaking out after her coach pleaded guilty to sexual abuse and grooming.

• Lily Penn says the abuse started when she was 15 and escalated from social media messages to physical intimacy.

• Charles Moore III pleaded guilty this week to several charges of child abuse.

GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. – A former cheerleader is sharing her story of survival after her former coach, Charles Moore III, pleaded guilty this week to grooming and sexually abusing a minor in Gwinnett County.

What do we know?

Lily Penn, now 19, says her ordeal began when she was a 15-year-old student who was failing Moore’s class.

According to Penn, Moore began communicating with her frequently on Snapchat and made an effort to get closer to family members.

The situation worsened when Moore began sending inappropriate messages and asking Penn to meet her in her car for sexual encounters at the cheerleading gym.

Penn says Moore became close to her, even though she was hesitant and said she had a boyfriend.

Go deeper

Moore, 33, has coached several cheer organizations in metro Atlanta and at a high school in Walton County.

After pleading guilty, a Gwinnett County judge sentenced Moore to 25 years in prison; He was sentenced to the first 12 years in prison.

Officials said Moore coached at several programs, including STAR Athletics Cheers and Tumbling in Barrow County, the Atlanta Jayhawks in Gwinnett County and Walnut Grove High School in Walton County.

what we don’t know

It’s unclear if any additional victims have come forward to investigators since Moore’s arrest in 2024.

what do they say

Penn testified at Moore’s plea hearing in Gwinnett County this week, describing the emotional toll of facing her abuser in court.

“Some days they would bring him into the courtroom and I was like, ‘I’m fine, like I can look at you, I’m not afraid of you,'” Penn said. “Other days they would take him out and I couldn’t help but cry because how could someone so close to me do this to me?”

As for the guilty plea, Penn said it provided a sense of relief. “It’s definitely closure, like hearing him say, ‘Yes, I did,’ because he knows he did me wrong,” she said. “I’m getting justice for myself and for people who feel like they can’t come forward.”

What’s next?

Moore still faces additional charges in Barrow and Walton counties.

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Source

Information in this story was compiled from FOX 5’s interview with Lily Penn and previous FOX 5 news. This is FOX 5’s original report.