Former Winona Coach Pleads Guilty in Student Sexual Assault Case

Winona, MN (KROC-AM News) - A southeastern Minnesota high school coach accused of sexually assaulting four students has admitted to a felony charge.

When he was formally charged two years ago in Winona County Court, 31-year-old Eric Dione Birth was accused of engaging in sexual relationships with three juvenile girls, but the criminal complaint was amended last August to include a fourth victim. The charges against the Winona man allege the sexual assaults occurred between 2016 and 2022.

Investigation Began Two Years Ago

Court documents state that Winona police began investigating Birth in January 2024 after a woman contacted investigators and told them she had been sexually assaulted by Birth, who was her high school track coach and physical education teacher. The criminal complaint says the victim told investigators the sexual assaults began in 2022 after she confided in him about relationship problems with her mother.

A few weeks later, a second victim contacted Winona police and accused Birth of sexually assaulting her in the summer of 2016 while she was a member of the Winona High School girls track team. She also indicated the alleged assaults began after she shared information about her family relationship issues with Birth. She was 16 years old at the time.

READ MORE: Southeast Minnesota Coach & Teacher Accused of Sexually Assaulting Student Athletes

High School Track Coach Accused

The criminal complaint says a third victim contacted police a little over a week after the second victim came forward. The court document says she told investigators she was 17 years old when she confided in Birth about a difficult family situation and he began sexually assaulting her in the spring of 2017. The third victim told police Birth recorded video of at least one of the sexual assaults and that the video was seen by two other members of the Winona High School girls track team the following year.

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According to the charges, a fourth victim contacted Winona police in February 2024. The criminal complaint says she told investigators Birth began sexually assaulting her in the fall of 2017 when she was 17 years old. She was also a member of the Winona High School girls track team at the time.

Trial Was Scheduled Next Week

Birth was charged with six counts of third-degree criminal sexual conduct involving a person in a position of authority and one count of fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct. He was scheduled to stand trial on the charges next week, but entered into a plea agreement at a pretrial hearing today.

Court records indicate Birth admitted to three counts of third-degree criminal sexual conduct and is scheduled to be sentenced in May.

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