Several parents accuse Madras cheer coach of physical, emotional abuse; coach denies their claims

MADRAS, Ore. (KTVZ) -- Multiple allegations against a Central Oregon cheer coach have some parents fearing for the safety of their children, but the coach is denying their claims.

Parents of children with Central Oregon Diamond Elite are alleging physical and emotional abuse by coach Ashley Garcia Manteiga. Several parents of the children, ages 8-12, say their daughters were left with bruises by the coach, who holds cheer camps in Madras and Prineville.

NewsChannel 21 also has received dozens of other complaints from parents, dating back to 2021 involving Manteiga, the owner of Central Oregon Cheerleading.

"These girls are scared. I mean, they're little kids," Central Oregon Elite President Kim Kibble told us.

She says the organization fired Manteiga in July following multiple incidents reported at a cheer camp in Portland.

But Manteiga says it's a different story.

"There has been bullying. There's been fighting, there's been meltdowns during practice and at events. And it was kind of making the older girls upset, and they didn't want to be part of the program any more," Manteiga said.

Kibble shared, "Ashley was very adamant that the girls were going to make her look good, no matter what. She was very, very not nice to the girls."

One of the parent coaches, who wished to remain anonymous, said she witnessed the alleged abuse: "Ashley walked up to her, put both of her hands in between her thigh and her calves, and grabbed her calves. And I could see her dig her fingertips in her legs and grit her teeth and say, 'Like this.'"

But Manteiga says the bruises came from practice, and each other: "The girls were constantly falling down, hurting each other. Even the camp instructors even gave a comment saying, 'Wow, this girl wants to die.'"

NewsChannel 21 learned a full investigation was conducted by St. Charles, law enforcement and the Oregon Department of Human Services after reports of abuse were filed. The state agency determined there was a concern for physical abuse caused by Manteiga.

A child's parent was quoted in the report as saying, "She came home with bruises from Ashley, because Ashley would segregate her from the other cheerleaders and put her hands on her, and be really mean and forceful with my child."

“This wasn't something that was a mistake or an accident," the parent continued. "She chose to take my child away from other cheerleaders and put her own hands on her and hurt her."

Manteiga says she has not been contacted by officials since the abuse investigation. But she had accusations of her own, against her accusers.

"I have been getting threats from the cheer parents. My daughter has been getting threats on social media," she said Wednesday.

We reached out to Madras Police and the Crook County Sheriff's Office for updates on whether any police reports were filed, but were told they had not received any reports.

Kibble says the accusations are all about prevention: "We want to make sure that the next generation of teams don't fall into the same pitfall that we did.”

But Manteiga calls it all "a mistake."

"This is a mistake, and we all learn from it," she said. "And hopefully, you know, this will just end and everyone can continue. Because at the end, I don't want this to hurt the girls, because it's all about the kids."

We'll hear more on the allegations and hear from a team member in the second part of our Special Report Thursday night on NewsChannel 21 First at Ten on Fox.