Elk River coach's conviction relieves victim

Eric Hawkins was found guilty of sexually assaulting one of his soccer players. "I feel like I'm taking my life back," she said.

By PAUL LEVY, Star Tribune

Last update: January 16, 2009 - 8:47 PM

Elk River soccer coach Eric Hawkins was convicted Friday of sexually assaulting a former youth player, whose graphic and emotional testimony brought jurors to tears.

After three years of feeling "ashamed," the victim proclaimed after Friday's verdict: "I feel like I'm taking my life back."

Hawkins, 45, a fixture for years in Elk River youth soccer and a former Rockford High School boys' soccer coach, was found guilty of first- and second-degree sexual assault. He could receive 12 years, said prosecutor Leah Emmans of the Sherburne County attorney's office.

"I felt like I was speaking for girls who didn't have a voice," the victim told the Star Tribune after the verdict.

Between tears and using detail that had some jurors squirming, the victim, now 18, told of sexual assaults and advances Hawkins made when they were alone in his car, traveling to and from practices and clinics. The assaults, which started when the girl was 14, took place in Hennepin and Sherburne counties.

The shame that once pushed her to attempt suicide gave way Friday to triumph and relief. The victim said that she panicked while on the witness stand earlier this week when she and Hawkins made eye contact and "he smirked."

"It was the hardest thing I've ever done," she said of testifying in court. "I was scared, but I knew I was telling the truth."

Hawkins was removed from his job as the Rockford High School boys' soccer coach 11 months ago, after allegations became public. He also worked three years ago as a volunteer with the boys' soccer team at Robbinsdale Cooper High School.

No stranger to controversy, he was suspended by the Minnesota Youth Soccer Association (MYSA) for four years in 2002 for sideline behavior that included "inappropriate language" and "taunting." In 2006, he agreed in Hennepin County District Court to pay $220,000 as part of a defamation-suit settlement to the MYSA.

Hawkins testified in court that he'd never been alone with the victim, even after several witnesses testified otherwise, Emmans said.

Emmans praised the victim's "courage" and lauded "the wonderful people who devote their time to children's athletics. It's such a shame that something like this could cast a shadow."

"He's like a poison," the victim's mother said. "His reign of terror is over. There will be secret smiles everywhere in Elk River."

The jury took less than two hours to reach its verdict. Hawkins is to be sentenced in Sherburne County District Court on March 12.

The Star Tribune generally does not identify victims of sexual assault.

A call to Mark Miller, Hawkins' Minneapolis attorney, was not immediately returned.

Paul Levy • 612-673-4419