Keng Cha, a girls' volleyball coach at Como Park High School in St. Paul, Minn., was fired Thursday and later arrested by police after they learned of a year-long inappropriate relationship between Cha and a 15-year-old player on his team.
As reported by ABC affiliate KSTP, Cha, 30, is accused of having sex with the student-athlete and faces charges of first-degree criminal sexual conduct and third-degree criminal sexual conduct.
According to a criminal complaint, St. Paul officers responded to a report of criminal sexual conduct at Como Park High School on Thursday. Officers met with the 15-year-old, who said that her volleyball coach, identified as Cha, had engaged her in sex on multiple occasions from Oct. 2022 through Sept. 2023.
The victim told police that Cha had learned of her phone number from the volleyball roster and began texting her in the summer/early fall of 2022. After about a month of texting, Cha began asking the girl for sexual favors and nude photos, court documents say. The contact then progressed to having sex, according to prosecutors.
According to KSTP's Morgan Reddekopp, as officers were speaking with the victim, Cha began texting her, “Why haven’t you been coming to games?” and “Did you say anything to anyone about us?” The officers then learned that Cha was in a meeting with the school’s athletic director, who was in the process of firing him from his position as a volleyball coach at the same time they were interviewing the victim.
Cha, who was arrested shortly after, opted to waive his legal rights and speak with police, court documents say. He admitted to being a volleyball coach at the high school and having sex with the teen on multiple occasions.
St. Paul Public Schools declined to comment on the situation, Reddekopp reported.
