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Tag: Criminal Sexual Conduct

  • Former Winona high school teacher, coach pleads guilty to sexually assaulting 3 girls

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    A former Winona, Minnesota, high school teacher and track coach accused of having sex with several minor students pleaded guilty to three counts of criminal sexual conduct on Wednesday.

    Eric Birth, 31, was charged in 2024 with four counts of third-degree criminal sexual conduct in connection with four separate victims, all of whom were members of the track team. As part of a plea deal, one count was dropped.

    Birth is scheduled to be sentenced on May 7.

    Charges came after, in June 2023, the Winona Police Department says it received an anonymous complaint that Birth had a sexual relationship with a former student while they were still in high school. 

    One victim told police that in one encounter with Birth in 2022, he pulled down his pants and forced her to give him oral sex while he held her head down. Two other victims reported having a sexual relationship with Birth, one in 2017 and another in 2016.

    Birth has been employed at Winona Area Public Schools since April 2016 as a coach, according to the Minnesota Department of Education. He became a physical education teacher there in August 2021.

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  • Eden Prairie man pleads guilty to criminal sexual conduct, enticement of a minor

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    A 35-year-old Twin Cities man accused of sexually assaulting a teen boy pleaded guilty in state court last week, documents show.

    Michael Bruce Gillis, of Eden Prairie, Minnesota, was charged in both federal and state courts. He pleaded guilty to one count of third-degree criminal sexual conduct in his state case on Wednesday. Last month, he pleaded guilty to one count of enticement of a minor in federal court.

    Gillis is scheduled to be sentenced for his federal case on Jan. 6, 2026 and his state sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 14. If his plea deal is accepted by the state, Gillis will serve his federal and state sentences concurrently.

    Court documents say Mounds View, Minnesota, police received a report on March 2 that a 15-year-old boy had gone missing. Family members reviewed the boy’s electronic devices and found chat communications between him and Gillis, who identified himself as “Nick Miller.” 

    Gillis said in their communications that he “like[s] younger guys” and he expressed no concerns after the boy said he was still in high school, according to the criminal complaint.

    The two exchanged graphic images, and Gillis expressed his desire to have sex with the boy, charges say. Gillis and the boy allegedly made plans to meet in Eden Prairie.

    Gillis ordered an Uber for the boy to the Eden Prairie residence and provided step-by-step directions to make sure he arrived at the correct location, according to the criminal complaint.

    Officers with the Eden Prairie Police Department responded to the address around four hours after Gillis and the boy agreed to meet, and found the boy walking on foot nearby.

    The boy told officials Gillis had sexually assaulted him and that he escaped the residence after Gillis fell asleep, charges say.

    At the time he was charged in the case, Gillis had “two other pending matters involving allegations of child exploitation,” according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Minnesota — one in Hennepin County in August 2024 and one in Polk County, Florida, in October 2024. 

    Nick Lentz

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  • Minnesota State trooper pleads guilty to producing, distributing child pornography

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    Walz expects Trump to send National Guard to Minnesota, and more headlines



    Walz expects Trump to send National Guard to Minnesota, and more headlines

    06:58

    A Minnesota State Patrol trooper who is accused of sexually assaulting a girl pleaded guilty Wednesday to federal charges of producing and distributing child pornography. 

    Jeremy Plonski, 30, has been in custody since May, when he was charged by the U.S. Department of Justice. He faced two counts each of producing child pornography and distributing child pornography, and pleaded guilty to one count of each charge. As part of the plea deal, the other counts will be dropped. 

    He also faces charges in state court for a felony count of criminal sexual conduct with a person under the age of 14.

    A criminal complaint filed in Scott County says agents with the FBI found a video of Plonski interacting sexually with a minor. Plonski then admitted to sending “four or five” videos of him sexually assaulting the girl over a social media app in 2022. 

    According to the Minnesota State Patrol, he was hired in 2022. When he was charged, the state patrol said an internal affairs investigation was underway and he was placed on leave.

    No sentencing date has been scheduled. 

    If you know of a child who may have been a victim of exploitation, call the National Center for Missing or Exploited Children at 1-800-843-5678 or visit the website. The Minnesota Department of Health also has resources available here.

    WCCO Staff

    The WCCO Staff is a group of experienced journalists who bring you the content on WCCO.com.

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  • Man accused of raping, kidnapping woman in Minneapolis pleads guilty to criminal sexual conduct

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    NOTE: This story contains graphic details involving sexual assault. 

    A man accused of raping a woman at knifepoint near Cedar Lake in Minneapolis, then kidnapping her in June 2024, has pleaded guilty to two counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct, according to online court records updated on Monday.

    According to the criminal complaint, the woman told police that Rodriguez attacked her near Cedar Lake on June 7, 2024, dragging her into a wooded area, then choking and threatening to stab her as he sexually assaulted her.

    The woman told police that Rodriguez then forced her to drive him around before raping her again in a Minneapolis parking ramp, Charges said.

    Rodriguez allegedly then told the woman to go through an East Lake Street McDonald’s drive-thru and buy him a meal.

    Next, the woman said Rodriguez forced her to drive him to Uptown, pulled out a syringe and told her, “He had one more thing to do,” charges said. As he moved toward the woman with the needle, she escaped the vehicle and ran away. She then received help from a witness as Rodriguez drove off in her vehicle.

    According to charges, the woman was covered in scratches.

    The next day, state troopers spotted the woman’s vehicle at a rest stop more than three hours northwest near Fergus Falls, Minnesota. Witnesses told troopers the driver was “acting suspicious at the rest stop, asking people for money or a ride,” according to the complaint. They soon found and arrested Rodriguez.

    Charges said the woman identified Rodriguez in a photo lineup on June 10, 2024, and surveillance video from the East Lake Street McDonald’s showed that her passenger was wearing pants with a rip near the left knee, similar to the pants Rodriguez was wearing during his arrest.

    Rodriguez was also charged with five other counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct and one count each of kidnapping and first-degree carjacking, though it’s unclear whether they were dismissed as part of a plea agreement.   

    He faces up to 60 years in prison and a maximum fine of $80,000.

    Sexual Assault Resources

    General Sites for information related to sexual assault and resources throughout Minnesota:

    General Sexual Assault Websites:

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