Former Burnsville Swim Coach Faces New Sexual Assault Allegations

BURNSVILLE, MN — More charges were filed Friday against a Savage resident who coached for a number of years at the Burnsville Swim Club. After Dakota County officials announced a sexual assault charge against John "Rocky" O’Neill last month, the Burnsville Police Department said it received a tip about another sexual assault.

The charges filed Friday include three counts of criminal sexual conduct. In this new case, authorities accused O'Neill of having sexual contact with a teenage girl he was coaching on at least three separate occasions.

The incidents happened between 1997 and 1999, investigators said.

According to the criminal complaint, the woman told police that O’Neill took her out driving in Burnsville after a swim practice. He placed her hand on the vehicle’s manual gearbox and was teaching her how to shift, the complaint said.

O'Neill eventually pulled the vehicle over and had the teenager perform oral sex on him, according to investigators. The woman told police that O’Neill pushed her head down when she tried to stop.

She also recalled an incident in Eagan near Cliff Road, when she met O’Neill at a bagel shop. After meeting there, O’Neill had her get into his vehicle, where he touched her vagina, police said.

A third incident of assault happened at a park in Dakota County, according to the complaint.

Previous Charge

In September, authorities charged O'Neill with one count of criminal sexual conduct in connection with an alleged "sexual relationship" he had in the late 1980s with a then 17-year-old girl.

The victim told police she first met O'Neill when she began swimming for the Burnsville club at the age of 14, according to the Dakota County Attorney's Office.

Read more about that case here.

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Image via Dakota County Jail