A longtime swim contractor at Forum Fitness Center in Westland has been fired after parents discovered he is a registered sex offender with convictions dating back to the early 1990s. The contractor, who worked with children at the facility for nearly two decades, was let go on September 8 after parents circulated public sex offender registry screenshots on social media.
Parents Found the Record With a Quick Search
One parent whose children attended the center for at least eight years said a simple Google search quickly surfaced the contractor's court case, according to WDIV ClickOnDetroit. Court records reviewed by CaseMine show that in 1993 the Missouri Court of Appeals affirmed a 1991 child abuse conviction against the contractor, identified in local reporting as Donald Salata, after establishing he solicited nude photographs of a 3-year-old child under the pretense of running a toilet-training program. The Missouri case stemmed from advertisements Salata placed in a parenting magazine for toilet-training kits that requested photos of children, per the same court record.
Local news broadcasts declined to name the contractor because he was not facing active criminal charges tied to his employment at the fitness center, but a Westland community Facebook post identified him as Salata and reported his termination date. Forum Fitness Center owner Jeff Sullivan said the business learned of the contractor's criminal history several years before firing him, and that no accusation of inappropriate conduct was ever raised while he taught swim lessons, ClickOnDetroit reports. Sullivan said the facility was not concerned after learning of the history because no incidents had been reported.
A Program That Grew Faster Than Planned
According to the outlet's reporting, the contractor originally planned only to design and organize the swim program rather than teach children directly, but began teaching himself after the program grew faster than expected and instructors were unavailable. He went on to teach thousands of children how to swim over nearly two decades and held certification through the American Red Cross. Aquatics compliance research from Ankored clarifies that Red Cross Water Safety Instructor certifications evaluate teaching and water-safety skills only — responsibility for criminal background and registry checks rests with the employing facility, not the certifying body.
The contractor told the station he did not disclose his registered status before being hired and was unaware of allegations against him while working at the facility. He said he did not know whether Forum Fitness Center ever conducted a background check, and the facility has confirmed it did not run one. He apologized for the hardship and worry caused to those affected, per the outlet's report. Westland police were aware the contractor worked at the fitness center, according to the same account. Forum Fitness Center has since stated the contractor was relieved of his duties and is no longer affiliated with the center.
Why Michigan Law Allowed It
The case exposes a gap in Michigan's Sex Offenders Registration Act. Existing statutes prohibit registered sex offenders from working or volunteering at K-12 public and private schools, or residing within 1,000 feet of school property, but they contain no restrictions covering private fitness centers or commercial sports facilities, according to the Michigan Legislature. Parents interviewed by the station said the legal gap is concerning and that a swim contractor's employers need far more thorough vetting; one parent said the family will not return to the facility.
State lawmakers have already moved to close that loophole. In April, the Michigan House of Representatives passed House Bills 5425 and 5426, sponsored by Rep. Matthew Bierlein, which would bar registered sex offenders from working or volunteering at private businesses that primarily serve minors, such as dance studios, martial arts facilities and summer camps, according to Michigan Public. Bierlein introduced the bills after parents in his district discovered a registered sex offender was operating a local youth martial arts studio. Under House Bill 5425, a violation would carry a misdemeanor punishable by up to one year in jail and a $1,000 fine for a first offense, escalating to a felony punishable by up to four years in prison for later violations, per BillTrack50. As of now, that expanded ban is not yet in effect statewide.
Advocates Push Back on Broader Bans
Not everyone supports the legislation. Michigan Citizens for Justice submitted written testimony to state lawmakers in February opposing House Bill 5425, arguing that over 95 percent of sex offenses are committed by first-time offenders who are not listed on any registry, and warning that further job restrictions increase unemployment and community instability, according to testimony filed with the Michigan Legislature. Opponents contend that public registries already disclose offenders' employer addresses, letting parents and employers weigh risk on their own without a blanket statutory ban.
The debate unfolds against the backdrop of a registry that is already among the nation's largest. Figures cited by the ACLU of Michigan show the state's sex offender registry contains roughly 45,000 residents and nearly 10,000 people who live out of state. In October 2024, U.S. District Judge Mark A. Goldsmith ruled in Does III v. Whitmer that key provisions of the registry law were unconstitutional, including retroactive lifetime registration extensions and broad reporting requirements, a decision the ACLU says fits a pattern of federal courts repeatedly invalidating parts of Michigan's registry statute since 2013.
The Forum Fitness case follows other recent registry-related incidents in Wayne County. In March, federal law enforcement officers arrested a 35-year-old registered sex offender in Westland on federal child sexually abusive material charges following a cyber tip investigation from the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, as Hoodline previously reported. Parents in the Forum Fitness case say they are still demanding answers about how a registered offender was able to work directly with children for so long without triggering any legal barrier.
