Jerry Sandusky isn’t the only coach faced with recent charges of child molestation. Andrew Schwan, a former girls’ high school basketball coach accused of fondling two players in 2009, pleaded guilty to misconduct of a public officer on Monday.
Schwan was the head coach of the Park-Audubon girls’ basketball team in Audubon, MN. Both Schwan and the assistant coach Darrin Myhre are accused of giving the girls alcohol and fondling them in a hotel room during a Saint Cloud basketball tournament in December 2009. Both men resigned immediately after the allegations were made.
In September 2010, Stearns County prosecutors charged both men with felony fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct. Schwan and Myhre were also charged with misconduct of a public officer and furnishing alcohol to a minor, both misdemeanors. This Monday, Schwan pleaded guilty for the misdemeanor misconduct charge. As part of his plea agreement, Schwan faces a maximum of 10 days in jail and must register as a predatory sex offender for 10 years. According to his plea agreement, Schwan invited the girls into the hotel he shared with Myhre. His behavior soon escalated when he began touching the girls. However, Schwan denies that the intimate contact was intended to be sexual.
Schwan’s guilty plea on Monday came in the wake of the Penn State scandal and the firing of head coach Joe Paterno. The public attention surrounding Penn State will undoubtedly lead to increased scrutiny of coaches nationwide. Schwan’s case is one of the first to resurface following the media firestorm, but it will likely not be the last. Stay tuned as we continue to explore this issue through our ongoing Penn State series.
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