A Minnesota teacher has been arrested for allegedly having sexual relationships with three students, KTTC-TV reports.
Authorities say 29-year-old Eric Birth, a teacher at Winona Senior High School, exploited the victims when they were struggling with personal matters and had confided in him. The teens were between 16 and 18 years old at the time of the incidents.
Court records filed on Friday show police received an anonymous tip in June alleging that Birth was having a sexual relationship with a student. She initially denied the relationship when interviewed by police, but in January she contacted investigators and admitted she had lied.
The student said after she and Birth began texting in 2022, they met up and he allegedly forced her to perform oral sex on him. Birth allegedly tried to “persuade her to have a relationship,” the court documents state, according to Fox 9.
Two more victims came forward and said Birth had sexual relationships with them when he was their track coach. One student said she and Birth flirted in text messages and then the relationship became physical after that, including intercourse in summer 2016 when she was 16 years old. The other student said she and Birth had a sexual relationship in 2017, and that she initially denied any improper behavior when a principal contacted her about Birth.
Other members of the track team are said to have observed a video on Birth’s phone of one of the victims performing a sex act on him. The victim told police she was not aware Birth recorded the encounter.
Birth began working for Winona Area Public Schools in 2016 as a coach and later was hired as a physical education teacher in 2021. School administration in January placed Birth on administrative leave.
Prosecutors have charged Birth with four counts of third-degree criminal sexual conduct, which include charges that he was in a position of authority, used coercion, and was in a prohibited occupational relationship. He appeared in court on Friday.
In response to the charges, the school district issued a public statement that read, in part: “We understand that this news may be shocking and concerning to our school community. Please know that all school district employees are subject to a thorough background check before being hired, and are also required to complete training to reinforce policy, procedure, and our legal requirements as mandatory reporters.”
Anyone with information about Birth should contact the Winona Police Department at 507-457-6302.
Winona is about 110 miles southeast of Minneapolis.
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[Feature Photo: Eric Birth/Winona County Jail]
