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Tag: Winona News

  • 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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    WCCO Staff

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  • Adam Fravel, convicted killer of Madeline Kingsbury, requests new trial

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    Adam Fravel, Madeline Kingsbury’s convicted killer, requests new trial



    Adam Fravel, Madeline Kingsbury’s convicted killer, requests new trial

    00:30

    Adam Fravel, the 31-year-old Winona, Minnesota, man convicted of killing Madeline Kingsbury, the mother of his children, is requesting a new trial. 

    In the 48-page document filed this week in Winona County, Fravel lays out a number of complaints about how his trial was handled. He claims there was not enough evidence to convict him of premeditated or intentional murder.   

    At Fravel’s sentencing hearing, Winona County Attorney Karin Sonneman asked the judge to adhere to guidelines mandating life in prison for first-degree premeditated murder, the most serious of the four counts on which Fravel was convicted.

    Maddi Kingsbury

    Madeline Kingsbury

    Kingsbury Family


    Fravel was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole in December. In March, he filed an appeal with the Minnesota Supreme Court.

    Kingsbury, 26, went missing in March 2023 after dropping off the children she shared with Fravel at a Winona daycare. Her body was discovered three months later near Fravel’s family property.

    During Fravel’s sentencing, Kingsbury’s family made emotional victim impact statements. Fravel has maintained he is innocent.

    Chloe Rosen

    Chloe is a digital producer at CBS Minnesota in Minneapolis and has worked in numerous positions at the station, including Assignment Editor, Digital Line Producer and Web Producer. She started her career at CBS Minnesota in 2015.

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    Chloe Rosen

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  • Minnesota state Sen. Jeremy Miller announces he will not seek reelection in 2026

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    Republican Minnesota state Sen. Jeremy Miller announced Monday he will not be running for his seat again in next year’s election.

    “After a tremendous amount of thought and discussion with Janel and the boys, I have made the difficult decision to not seek reelection after my current term ends next year,” Miller said. “Other than marrying my amazing wife and the birth of our three wonderful boys, serving in the Minnesota Senate has been one of the most memorable and rewarding experiences of my life.”

    Miller was first elected in 2010 and has been reelected four times. At 26, he became the second youngest Minnesotan to be elected to the Senate. In 2019, he became the youngest senator in Minnesota to serve as president of the Senate. In 2021, Republicans elected Miller to serve as majority leader of the Senate.

    The senator from Winona said after his term, he will work on growing the businesses he’s involved in and volunteering in the community, in addition to spending more time with his wife and three sons.

    “Serving in the Senate has been an honor of a lifetime and I’m proud of what I’ve been able to help accomplish for the folks I’m blessed to represent,” Miller said. “I ran for the Senate because I wanted to help make a difference and being a member of the Senate has given me a great opportunity to be a difference maker.”  

    Republican Senate Majority Leader Jeremy Miller, of Winona, discusses the Senate Republican tax cut plan at a news conference at the State Capitol in St. Paul, Minn., on Thursday, April 4, 2022. He’s joined by GOP Senate Taxes Committee Chair Carla Nelson, of Rochester.

    Steve Karnowski / AP


    Miller has received numerous legislative awards over his nearly 16-year tenure, such as Legislator of the Year, Outstanding Support for People with Disabilities, the Council of State Government’s 20 under 40 and more.

    Miller’s office says his legislative achievements include housing and workforce opportunities for people with disabilities, funding mental health services and housing projects, leading efforts to pass Sunday liquor sales and adding protections for first responders.

    Miller has also been an advocate for legalizing sports betting in the state, introducing the Minnesota Sports Betting Act in 2023. The legislation did not pass that year, so in 2024, he unveiled the Minnesota Sports Betting Act 2.0. The second version of the bill included modifications based on feedback he received from constituents, legislators and other stakeholders. However, attempts to legalize sports betting in Minnesota remain unsuccessful.

    In 2017, Miller considered running for Congress to fill the seat left open by then-Rep. Tim Walz, as he sought to become governor, but decided against it.

    Miller says that while he’s taking a step back for now, he will not rule out a future run for public office.

    Riley Moser

    Riley Moser is a digital producer who covers breaking news and feature stories for CBS Minnesota. Riley started her career at CBS Minnesota in June 2022 and earned an honorable mention for sports writing from the Iowa College Media Association the same year.

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    Riley Moser

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  • Crews search for Minnesota man missing in Yellowstone National Park

    Crews search for Minnesota man missing in Yellowstone National Park

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    WCCO digital update: Afternoon of Sept. 23, 2024


    WCCO digital update: Afternoon of Sept. 23, 2024

    01:36

    MINNEAPOLIS — Crews at Yellowstone National Park are searching for a young man from Minnesota who has not been heard from for nearly a week.

    Officials say 22-year-old Austin King was last heard from on Tuesday, Sept. 17 when he called his friends and family from the summit of Eagle Peak in Wyoming.

    King, who is originally from Winona, Minnesota, is a concession employee who works in Yellowstone. He failed to arrive for his boat pickup on Friday afternoon after his planned seven-day trip to summit Eagle Peak, park officials said.

    During King’s summit, he described encountering fog, rain, sleet, hail and windy conditions.

    austin-king.jpg
    Austin King

    Yellowstone National Park


    Crews began their search for King on Saturday morning. Later that same day, rescuers reported finding King’s camp and personal effects in the upper Howell Creek area.

    More than 20 ground searchers, two helicopters, unmanned air systems and a search dog team participated in efforts to find King on Sunday.

    Rescue crews will continue to search for King in the vicinity of Eagle Peak, Eagle Pass Mountain Creek Trail and Eagle Creek Trailhead.

    King is described as 6 feet tall and 160 pounds with brown hair and hazel eyes. He was last seen wearing glasses, a black sweatshirt and gray sweatpants.

    Anyone with information on King’s whereabouts is encouraged to contact the Yellowstone Interagency Communications Center at 307-244-2643.

    Riley Moser

    Riley Moser is a digital producer who covers breaking news and feature stories for CBS Minnesota. Riley started her career at CBS Minnesota in June 2022 and earned an honorable mention for sports writing from the Iowa College Media Association the same year.

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    Riley Moser

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  • Trial for Adam Fravel, accused in Madeline Kingsbury killing, set for October

    Trial for Adam Fravel, accused in Madeline Kingsbury killing, set for October

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    WINONA, Minn. — The trial for Adam Fravel, the man accused of killing his ex-girlfriend Madeline Kingsbury in Winona, has been scheduled for this fall.

    According to a Winona County court filing on Wednesday, Fravel will have a jury trial on Oct. 7 at the Blue Earth County Justice Center. In the filing, the court says Blue Earth County is “best positioned to ensure the impartiality” for a fair trial.

    In June, a Winona County judge granted Fravel’s change of venue request, citing “extensive pretrial publicity and the substantial involvement of the Winona community in this case.”

    Kingsbury, 26, disappeared in March 2023 after dropping her two children off at day care in Winona. The following month, police called her case “suspicious” and asked for the community’s help with search efforts.

    When Kingsbury disappeared, Fravel denied any involvement and petitioned for custody of the two children, though a judge denied his request and the children were placed in the custody of Kingsbury’s parents.

    Kingsbury’s body was found two months after her disappearance in a field near Mabel, about an hour away from Winona. Fravel, who is the father of her children, was arrested two days later and charged with first- and second-degree murder in connection to her death.

    According to a criminal complaint, Fravel had a history of domestic violence against Kingsbury, including hitting her while she was on a video call with a friend and choking her in front of their children.

    If convicted, Fravel could face a maximum sentence of life in prison.

    The pretrial is scheduled for Sept. 3 at the Winona County Courthouse.

    Note: The above video first aired on June 13, 2024.

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    Nick Lentz

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  • Winona teacher, track coach charged with sexual misconduct

    Winona teacher, track coach charged with sexual misconduct

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    WINONA, Minn. — A southeastern Minnesota high school teacher and track coach is accused of having sex with several minor students, court documents filed Thursday reveal.

    Eric Birth, 29, was charged with one count of criminal sex conduct in the third degree for “sexually penetrating” a 17-year-old girl in the fall of 2017, charging documents say. 

    The Winona Police Department says in June 2023 it received an anonymous complaint that Birth had a sexual relationship with a former student while they were still in high school. When the victim was contacted, they denied the allegations. However, on Jan. 2, the victim contacted the police to discuss her relationship with Birth.

    Police say they spoke to a 2018 Winona Senior High School graduate as a result of its investigation into Birth. Police questioned her Snapchat conversations with Birth while she was in high school. She allegedly told police that Birth had sent his address and she went to his house to do “sexual stuff,” but she ended up leaving before anything could happen because she felt uncomfortable.

    Charges state the two eventually had intercourse, which the victim said was planned and happened one morning before school, while her parents were at work.

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    The victim recalled going into the principal’s office the same year after someone had reported Birth’s inappropriate behavior with some girls. She told police she had lied when questioned by school administrators because she was scared. She added that she thought the report included two other girls.

    At least four girls reported to police having inappropriate contact with Birth. All four victims were members of the track team.

    Birth took advantage of vulnerable girls, charges reveal

    One girl, identified in court documents as “Victim #1”, says Birth started a group chat on Snapchat with her and some other girls she ran with before school to prepare for the track season. She says Birth was involved with the group for a while and provided her and another one of the girls with his personal cell phone number.

    The girl allegedly confided in Birth about her issues and reached out to him because she was having a difficult time. She says the two met in April 2022 at a pre-determined meeting spot to talk in person.

    Birth reportedly got inside the girl’s car and kissed her. She told police this made her uncomfortable but he pulled her from the vehicle and started to kiss her again. He then allegedly pulled down his pants and forced the girl to give him oral sex while he held her head down. The act was interrupted when another vehicle approached the area.

    Charges allege Birth tried to get the girl to have intercourse in the back seat, but she refused. She says he tried to persuade her to have a relationship with him for the following two weeks.

    The second victim included in the charging documents says Birth was her track coach when she attended Winona Senior High School in 2016 and that she confided in him while struggling with personal issues. She said that Birth told her that he could talk to him and he would “help her with whatever she needed.”

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    The girl, a member of the track team, told police that she and Birth had a relationship of a sexual nature, including intercourse, when she was just 16.

    A third victim reported having a sexual relationship with Birth in April and May 2017 after she confided in him about personal issues she had been struggling with. She was only 17 at the time.

    She added that Birth had called her during her senior year of high school, concerning an investigation by the school in regards to their relationship. She recalled a conversation with the principal asking about her relationship with Birth but says she denied any allegations.

    Multiple witnesses also reported seeing a video of the third victim performing oral sex on Birth when they borrowed his phone one day at track practice.

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

    If convicted, Birth faces at least 15 years in prison.

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    WCCO Staff

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