Gym owner pleads guilty to abuse
Published 12:00 am Wednesday, August 17, 2005
John Wesley Mardis admitted to sexually abusing one of his gymnast students last week, but the owner of Mardis Gymnastics in Pelham will only serve one day of his 12-month sentence.
Mardis pled guilty on Aug. 8 to a charge of second-degree sexual abuse after an investigation by the Pelham Police Department and the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office determined that he sexually abused a young female student at his facility.
A report by the Pelham Police Department said the incidents occurred between 1998 and 2003.
Mardis’ guilty plea was part of a plea agreement that will allow him to serve only one day of his year-long sentence. He will also be subject to 24 months of supervised probation and he will be required to register as a sex offender in accordance with Alabama State law. Mardis served his sentence on Aug. 15.
In addition to owning the gymnastics school, Mardis also worked as a coach at the facility. The police report also stated that the young girl in question was no longer a student at the facility.
&045;&045; Brandon Gresha