By Crime Watch MN
WINONA, Minn. – A Winona, Minn., high school teacher and track coach is facing several felony charges following accusations of having sexual relationships with four prior students.
Twenty-nine-year-old Eric Dione Birth is charged in Winona County District Court in at least four cases with a total of five varying counts of third-degree criminal sexual conduct that allegedly spanned a course of several years with multiple victims at different times. The charges include modifiers for involving minors, being in a position of authority, prohibited occupational relationship, and using coercion.
Authorities were first alerted in June 2023 when investigators received an anonymous tip that Birth had been involved in a sexual relationship with a senior high school student, Victim 1, charges say.
When contacted, Victim 1 initially denied the relationship to investigators and the case was closed. About six months later, in January of this year, Victim 1 recanted her denial and met with an investigator.
Victim 1 explained that she had begun personal text chats with Birth in early 2022, during which she confided having personal issues. A meetup eventually took place where charges say Birth kissed her and tried to get the teen to perform oral sex. Following that incident, Birth tried to persuade the teen to have a relationship with him. Corroborating evidence obtained by investigators indicated that Victim 1 was age 18 at the time.
A second victim came forward in January of this year and told investigators that she had a sexual relationship with Birth while she attended Winona Senior High School. Victim 2 reported that Birth was her track coach at the time and that she had confided personal issues to him. The relationship eventually became sexual, including intercourse, in the summer of 2016 and carried on into the fall of that year. Victim 2 was a junior at the school and was age 16 at the time.
A third victim also came forward in January and described a sexual relationship with Birth that took place in April and May 2017 while she was a 17-year-old student at Winona High School. The criminal complaint indicates that Birth surreptitiously took a video of the teen performing oral sex on him.
Two separate witnesses who were also students and were coached by Birth informed investigators that they had inadvertently viewed the video of Victim 3 on Birth’s phone while using it to take a selfie. One of the witnesses confirmed to police that they were aware Birth was having “inappropriate relationships” or contact with numerous students and athletes.
Charges in a separate case detail that a fourth victim was discovered by investigators while looking at Snapchat conversations during the investigation. Victim 4 was a 2018 graduate from Winona Senior High School and was on the track team, although Birth was not her coach, she told investigators. She said that she and Birth had sex at her house one morning before school in 2017 when her parents were already at work. She said she thought she was age 17 at the time.
Victims 3 and 4 had both been previously questioned by school administrators about whether they had been sexually involved with Birth, but both lied at the time of questioning and said they hadn’t.
Records obtained by police about Birth’s employment indicated he’d held positions between April 1, 2016 to present that included coach and physical education teacher. From August 2021 to June 2022, Birth also worked as a physical education teacher at the Winona Area Learning Center. Birth was placed on administrative leave on Jan. 3, 2024.
Birth made his first court appearance on the charges on Feb. 16 and has since posted bond and been released from custody. Birth is scheduled to make his next court appearance in the cases on March 21.
Minnesota Crime Watch & Information publishes news, info and commentary about crime, public safety and livability issues in Minneapolis, the Twin Cities and Greater Minnesota.
This article appeared at Alpha News and was reprinted with permission.
