Professional skateboarder Neal Hendrix has been accused of sexually assaulting a minor.
As reported by the New York Post, 25-year-old professional skateboarder Julie Lynn Kindstrand Nelson has come forward to allege that 45-year-old made her perform sex acts on him when she was 14 years old.
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In an 11-page letter to the Costa Mesa Police Department in Costa Mesa, California, Kindstrand Nelson also stated that he also took videos of her while she was in the shower, showed her pornographic videos of other underage girls, and masturbated in front of her.
Hendrix has been a prominent figure in the skateboarding world for many years, even being a crucial part of the sport being included in the upcoming 2020 games in Tokyo, Japan.
“I wanted to make sure that everybody in the skateboarding community is aware of what’s going on,” Kindstrand Nelson told ESPN in a recent interview. “For so long, so many people turned a blind eye.”
“My experience with Neal was very traumatic,” she added. “It has taken me several years to process what happened to me and many more years to find the courage to stand up and say something. I hope that other young girls who dream of being competitive athletes do not suffer the same fate. As young athletes, girls are very susceptible to sexual predators.”
Kindstrand Nelson also posted a video on her Facebook page, wherein she shared details of her experience.
“I was preyed on by Neal Hendrix,” she stated in the clip, adding, “Neal Hendrix used his position of influence, pressuring sexual interest with me at the age of 14-years-old.”
Kindstrand Nelson then accused skateboarding organizers and officials — including the United States Olympic Committee — of looking “the other way while Neal did many wrongful and illegal things to me and acted inappropriately around many young girls.”
“I was a top professional skateboarder before a sexual Predator Neal Hendrix took my innocence and destroyed my career… I am now in the process of getting my life back together,” she added in the caption of the post. “I am coming to terms with what happened to me and finally speaking out about it.”
“I am no longer letting Neal or my experience with him define me or limit what I can achieve,” Kindstrand Nelson continued. “I am very excited to make my come back in skateboarding. I have a new outlook on life and I am excited to discover what my future holds.”
Hendrix has since responded to the allegations against him, saying that “the claims are 100 percent false.” The U.S. Center for SafeSport is conducting an investigation, but Hendrix is currently suspended from his position with USA Skateboarding.
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