WINONA, Minn. – A former Winona High School track coach, Eric Birth, was told formally in court that he now faces five new counts of sexual misconduct with female athletes. Already pending are five counts filed in February 2024. The original counts alleged that encounters occurred in a six-year window ending in 2022, but the athletes didn’t report them at the time. Birth, now 31 years old, has pleaded not guilty to the original charges His attorney said he needs more time to evaluate the new allegations and asked Judge Nancy Buytendorp to delay the case further. The judge took the request under advisement.
More sordid detail
One new count alleges that Birth persuaded one girl to fellate him, which she did. When she declined to go further, she said, he dropped her from her position on the track team.
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