Former Pine Island teacher charged with sexually assaulting young teen she taught and coached

A Rochester woman who was a teacher and volleyball coach in Pine Island, Minn., has been charged with sexually assaulting a young teenage student for more than two months this year.

Lindsey R. Schneeberger, 24, was charged in Olmsted County District Court with two counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct in connection with assaulting the girl when she was as young as 13 years old.

Schneeberger was arrested and later released after posting a $50,000 bond. Court records do not list an attorney for her, and she has yet to respond to messages seeking a response to the allegations. She is due in court of June 8.

Also last week, the mother filed in court for an order for protection in an effort to keep Schneeberger away from her daughter. In her filing, the mother said she was concerned that the teenager, who is now 14, failed to view herself as a victim.

According to the criminal complaint:

The girl's mother told police on May 17 that she found text messages between her daughter and Schneeberger that include pet names such as "babe" and baby." The mother said she had allowed her daughter to spend time at Schneeberger's home starting in March.

The mother said she confronted her daughter about the messages, and the teen admitted that Schneeberger had been touching her sexually.

The repeated assaults at Schneeberger's home continued until May 15, when the girl's mother found out about their encounters. Before then, the teenager said, they had been together two to three times a week. The girl also said she and Schneeberger exchanged nude photos of each other.

The Rochester Post-Bulletin reported that Schneeberger was placed on leave on March 6, due to an investigation. She resigned 10 days later, according to Pine Island Public School Superintendent Tamara Champa.

Schneeberger was also employed since last summer by Byron Public Schools in its before- and after-school program, said Superintendent Mike Neubeck.

Neubeck said Wednesday morning that Schneeberger no longer works for the district.