A 23-year-old Burnsville man and former high school coach was sentenced Wednesday in Anoka County to more than 11 years in prison after pleading guilty in February to kidnapping and sexually assaulting two 13-year-old girls.
Burnsville man sentenced in Anoka Co. for kidnapping, assaulting girls
Casey Lee Chinn pleaded guilty in February to sexually assaulting two 13-year-old girls.
April 3, 2015 at 5:27AM
Casey Lee Chinn met the girls through Omegle, a free online chat site, and picked them up in Andover, authorities say. Using clues gleaned from the girls' electronic devices, police tracked them to the Burnsville home.
Chinn was charged last fall with two counts of third-degree criminal sexual conduct, two counts of kidnapping and two counts of solicitation of a child to engage in sexual conduct.
In February, a plea deal was reached. After the plea hearing, County Attorney Tony Palumbo said the plea bargain was best for both sides.
The victims' parents, who have been present throughout Chinn's court appearances, spoke during his sentencing hearing Wednesday about the impact the crime had on their daughters.
One of the girls has had to change schools, has suffered the return of a seizure disorder and is experiencing depression. The other continues to receive extensive therapy.
According to the charging documents, the girls had been communicating with Chinn via text and other social media apps for about a month in "sexually explicit" chats.
Chinn had told police he believed the girls were unhappy and agreed to pick them up near their homes. He drove them around and eventually to his home in Burnsville. Chinn knew the girls' ages and acknowledged picking them up, the documents say.
When officers went to the Burnsville residence, he initially denied that the girls were there but eventually acknowledged that they were. When officers searched the residence, they found the two behind a couch.
According to the charges, Chinn engaged in sexual activity with both girls.
He has worked at several metro-area schools and organizations as a coach, according to authorities.
Officials at Cristo Rey Jesuit High School in Minneapolis placed Chinn on leave from the part-time job as volleyball coach he began in September.
Chinn also worked as a volunteer junior varsity baseball coach at East Ridge High School in Woodbury in 2014.
Karen Zamora • 612-673-4647
