Sexual Assault Case Against Ex-Burnsville Swim Coach Dropped

BURNSVILLE, MN — After two criminal trials resulted in hung juries, Dakota County Attorney James Backstrom will be dismissing the sexual assault charges filed against former Burnsville swim coach Alfred John O’Neill, 63, of Savage, his office acnnounced on Tuesday.

In May of 2018, the U.S. Center for SafeSport received a report that during 1988-1989, a woman had been sexually abused by her former swimming coach, Alfred O’Neill. That information was forwarded to the Burnsville Police Department, which began a criminal investigation.

The charges alleged that O’Neill used his position of authority over the then 17-year-old swimmer in order to repeatedly engage her in sexual contact. O’Neill had coached for the Burnsville Swim Club and had been her swimming coach from the time she was 14-years-old.

After O’Neill pled not guilty, this case was tried before two juries in Dakota County in April of 2019 and November of 2019. On both occasions, the juries failed to reach a verdict.

"We have concluded at this time to dismiss these criminal charges and will not pursue a third trial of Mr. O’Neill on the evidence currently available to us in this case," Backstrom said in a news release Tuesday.

"It is rare that a jury is unable to reach a verdict in a criminal case, but it does occasionally occur. I want to commend the woman for her courage in talking about these extremely difficult circumstances after so many years and assisting us in two separate criminal trials, which is never easy in cases of this nature."

Previous case was also dismissed

A second criminal case was filed against O’Neill on Oct. 19, 2018. This second case, in which the reporter claimed that she had been subject to sexual abuse by O’Neill on multiple occasions while she was coached by him in 1997-1998 when she was 16 and 17 years old, was brought to the attention of the Burnsville Police Department after the first criminal charge was filed against O’Neill.

Based upon "evidentiary issues" in this case, Dakota County prosecutors "determined that we could no longer prove the allegations beyond a reasonable doubt."

"When that occurs, it is the ethical obligation of a prosecutor to dismiss the case, which we did prior to any trial on Jan. 3, 2019."