Former volleyball coach at Forest Lake charter school admits to sexually assaulting two girls

A onetime assistant high school volleyball coach in Forest Lake has pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting one of his players and another student.

Mark R. Kosloski, 47, of Wyoming, Minn., pleaded guilty in Chisago County District Court last week to third-degree criminal sexual conduct in two separately filed cases in connection with the encounters while he was a coach at North Lakes Academy.

Sentencing was scheduled for Jan. 22, when the prosecution plans to seek a sentence of up to 15 years, according to one of two plea filings Friday. The defense said it wants one year of local incarceration and 15 years' probation.

However, Kosloski acknowledged, "The judge can keep my guilty plea and sentence me as the judge sees fit."

One of the students, who is now an adult, gave Wyoming police on Feb. 2 what she said was a text exchange from a couple of nights earlier that included Kosloski acknowledging wrongdoing after she pressed him to apologize, according to the charges.

"I'm sorry for everything I've ever done that hurt you or anyone else," read one of Kosloski's texts to the woman, the criminal complaint read. "I ask God's forgiveness every day for everything I've done."

On the same day the woman contacted police, Kosloski quit as the public charter school's head boys basketball coach, a post he had held since November 2015, said academy Executive Director Cam Stottler. Kosloski was on the girls' volleyball coaching staff for the 2017-18 season and did not hold any other positions with the school, Stottler said.

The woman told police that Kosloski trained her and the rest of the team during the summer before her senior year, but she was kicked off the team for smoking marijuana.

She said Kosloski offered to have her work out and train at his home gym. It was during those sessions that they started having sex until late December, when she ended the relationship, the complaint read.

The other former student contacted police in March after seeing news coverage about the first woman's accusations. She said Kosloski sexually assaulted her in the fall of 2018 in much the same manner as he did to the other student at his home.

She also told police that she knew Kosloski "to be texting with several other girls at North Lakes Academy at that time," the complaint read.

Paul Walsh • 612-673-4482