Burnsville coach accused of sexually assaulting underage player
Brooke Reinhardt (Dakota County Jail)
A boys volleyball coach at Burnsville High School is facing charges after being accused of sexually assaulting an underage player.
Brooke Emily Reinhardt, 24, has been charged with three counts of third-degree criminal sexual conduct with an underage victim.
According to court documents, on Tuesday, Burnsville police received a report of possible criminal sexual conduct involving Reinhardt and a 17-year-old player.
A witness said Reinhardt was looking after his home in Burnsville while he was out of state between June 23 and 29, and after returning, he found the victim’s wallet in his apartment.
Court records note that the victim was interviewed and said he forgot his wallet, and Reinhardt sent him a text saying that he’d forgotten it in her car. The victim stated that Reinhardt gave him a ride to practice in Maple Grove on June 28 and waited for him to finish practice before bringing him home.
The victim initially told investigators that he had not spent any time with Reinhardt aside from their sport, but authorities found texts from Reinhardt on his phone about condoms and also saying that he had “a lot of things to delete.”
According to the criminal complaint, the victim told officers that he and Reinhardt had been hanging out more often, and that the two of them began dating about two or three months before. He initially told officials that they hadn’t done more than just kissing.
When asked about the texts about condoms, the victim then said that they had sex multiple times and that Reinhardt had sent him nude pictures, court documents state.
On Wednesday, police arrested Reinhardt and in interviews, she initially said that the relationship between her and the victim was as coach and player; however, she later admitted that in May, she and the victim engaged in sexual acts in her vehicle and had sex multiple times, including at both of their houses and the witness’s apartment.
Court records note that she also admitted to sending nude pictures of herself to the victim.
Reinhardt has her next court hearing scheduled for Aug. 6.