SCOTTSDALE, AZ — A lifeguard at Great Wolf Lodge has been arrested and faces counts of sexual assault against juveniles, court documents show.
According to court documents, Salt River police responded to the resort near Pima Road and Talking Stick Way on January 31, after receiving a call from staff members "advising that there was possibly a sexual assault involving juveniles that had occurred involving one of their employees."
Police say a parent came forward claiming they witnessed a lifeguard employee inappropriately touch a child. According to that parent, their child advised that he was also touched by the same employee when the alleged lifeguard pushed him down one of the water slides.
Based on surveillance footage and interviews, the lifeguard was arrested and charged with two counts of molestation of a child.
The Great Wolf Lodge shared the following statement with ABC15:
"Nothing is more important to us than the safety and wellbeing of our guests, and we take extremely seriously any allegation of inappropriate behavior involving anyone at our resort. In this instance, we involved local law enforcement and fully supported their investigation into claims made by a guest, which led to the arrest and termination of an employee.
All of our employees undergo a rigorous and thorough background check before starting their employment. We confirmed this individual completed a full background check and that report showed no irregularities."
