St. Paul Volleyball Coach Sexually Assaulted Player: Charges

ST. PAUL, MN — A 30-year-old St. Paul volleyball coach is accused of sexually assaulting one of the players on his team.

Keng Cha was charged on Sept. 29 with first-degree and second-degree criminal sexual conduct. If convicted, he faces up to 30 years in prison and a $40,000 fine.

On Thursday, Sept. 28, police responded to Como High School on a report of criminal sexual conduct.

Officers met with a 15-year-old girl. She told police that Cha, her high school volleyball coach, "had engaged her in sex on four occasions" from October 2022 through September 2023, according to the criminal complaint.

The illegal sexual acts took place at various locations, including the back parking lot of the school, according to authorities.

Cha retrieved the girl's number from the volleyball team roster and started texting her in the summer and early fall of 2022, eventually asking for sexual favors and nude videos, investigators said.

Officers were speaking with the girl Thursday in a school office when Cha sent texts to her asking, "Why haven’t you been coming to the games" and "Did you say anything to anyone about us?" according to the criminal complaint.

At that moment, Cha was in the middle of being fired by the school's athletic director, investigators said.

Police found Cha and arrested him. Cha admitted to engaging in sexual activity with the girl, according to authorities.