Former Trail of Terror, Renaissance Festival supervisor pleads guilty to sexually assaulting 3 teens

A former Renaissance Festival and Trail of Terror supervisor is facing almost 20 years in prison after he entered a guilty plea on criminal sexual conduct charges involving minors.

Bryan E. Ellinger, 31, pleaded guilty Tuesday in Scott County District Court. He committed these assaults from 2012 to 2017 while he managed staff at the entertainment venues.

According to court documents, the plea agreement requires Ellinger to admit to single counts of first- and third-degree criminal sexual conduct in exchange for other counts. He was originally charged in January.

He is expected to be sentenced on Jan. 24, 2022. The plea agreement could result in Ellinger serving 19 years or more in prison. However, due to credit for time served in jail, Ellinger would actually spend about 12 years in prison and the balance on supervised release.

According to criminal complaints, Ellinger committed sexual acts with a 15-year-old girl and 17-year-old girl. The 15-year-old told police she was raped by Ellinger in front of others in a hotel room in 2012 after Trail of Terror closed on Halloween. Another 17-year-old girl told detectives she was sexually assaulted by Ellinger in 2017 while on the job at the Renaissance Festival and at the Trail of Terror. She also stated she was forced into having sex with Ellinger and his girlfriend.

Ellinger will have to file as a predatory offender for the remainder of his life.