The Seattle Post-Intelligencer is reporting that Homeland Security investigators searched the apartment of former Olympic swimming coach Sean Hutchison on Tuesday. Authorities were reportedly looking for evidence that the 46-year-old had taken nude photos of a swimmer he’s been accused of sexually abusing more than a decade ago.
The search was executed after former Olympic swimmer Ariana Kukors told police that Hutchison began sexually abusing her when she was 16. Kukors, now 28 years old, released a statement through her attorneys last night that read in part:
I never thought I would share my story because, in so many ways, just surviving was enough. I was able to leave a horrible monster and build a life I could have never imagined for myself. But in time, I’ve realized that stories like my own are too important to go unwritten. Not for the sake of you knowing my story, but for the little girls and boys whose lives and future hangs in the grasp of a horribly powerful and manipulative person. That they may not have to go through the same pain, trauma, horror, and abuse. That their parents, mentors, and guardians are better able to spot the signs of grooming and realize it’s tragic consequences before it’s too late.
Kukors retired from Olympic swimming in 2013, and Hutchison stepped down from his position as a U.S. Olympic swimming coach in 2010. At the time of his resignation, Hutchison denied rumors that he’d been engaged in a relationship with one of his female swimmers.
Hutchison has not been charged with a crime, and the Post-Intelligencer reports that he has not responded to a request for comment.