A former high school freshman girls basketball coach in Minnesota has been charged with criminal sexual conduct in connection with an illicit relationship that the coach held with one of her 14-year-old players, and which was discovered by a police officer around a park near the high school where both were involved.
As reported by CBS Minnesota and a number of other Twin Cities outlets, 20-year-old St. Paul resident Jenessa White was arrested and charged with both second and third-degree criminal sexual contact after police discovered White and one of her former Blaine (Minn.) High basketball players, who is 14 years old -- naked from the waist down in a car near Jefferson Park in Blaine.
Upon their discovery, both White and the girl accompanying her in the car admitted that they had been engaged in a relationship for approximately a month, with the teen admitting they had participated in sexual acts.
White was booked in Anoka County Jail on first-degree criminal sexual contact shortly thereafter.
A spokesman for the Anoka-Hennepin School District said the district is conducting its own internal investigation into the matter and would be contacting all parents of students in the program, but would also endeavor to stay way from all police proceedings so that they could move forward smoothly.
Meanwhile, he also made clear that White is no longer employed by the district, and had not been since her contract expired on March 17, following the conclusion of the school's basketball season.
The charges against White carry a massive possible penalty of 40 years in prison and fines of up to $65,000. While it may be relatively unlikely White would be handed those terms if convicted, the claim of the unnamed 14-year-old victim that the two were involved in a "dating" relationship which included multiple sexual experiences paints a bleak picture for her future in coaching and any other potential interactions with teenagers, at least in the immediate future.
Want more on the best stories in high school sports? Visit RivalsHigh or connect with Prep Rally on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.