An Anoka County jury has acquitted a former assistant wrestling coach at Coon Rapids High School of a charge that he sexually assaulted a woman he met at a sports bar in February.

Adam L. Leiter, 28, of Coon Rapids, was found not guilty Monday of third-degree criminal sexual conduct involving a 34-year-old woman he met at Be-Bops Sports Bar in Blaine.

Leiter's attorney, Joe Tamburino, said Leiter was very happy with the verdict and went home with his parents and brothers following the trial. The jury deliberated less than two hours.

According to a criminal complaint, the woman who accused Leiter was with two girlfriends when they met him and two other men at the sports bar on a Friday night. The three men returned with the three women to the Coon Rapids home of the one of the women, where they continued to party. The woman who accused Leiter went to sleep about 4 a.m. in a spare bedroom and claimed Leiter came in and had forcible intercourse with her.

"The jury chose not to believe the victim," said prosecutor Nancy Norman. "I thought she was a credible witness. The jury thought otherwise."

Norman said the bartender and four witnesses at the bar testified that the woman had made sexual comments about looking to find someone when Leiter was present. The woman's girlfriends denied hearing such remarks.

Leiter testified that the sex was consensual, Tamburino said.

The Anoka-Hennepin School District had suspended Leiter pending the outcome of the case. If he requests his job back, school officials will discuss what to do, said district spokeswoman Mary Olson.

Several background checks on Leiter had turned up nothing since he was hired more than five years ago as a part-time coach. A school official said in February that Leiter was a fine assistant coach.

Jim Adams • 612-673-7658