A former lacrosse coach for the White Bear Lake Area school district is accused of sending lewd photos to a 14-year-old student, charges say.
Amber Joi Cron, 20, of Forest Lake faces one count of distributing obscene material, according to the criminal complaint filed against her Friday in Ramsey County District Court.
The crime is a gross misdemeanor. Cron, of Forest Lake, was charged via warrant.
White Bear Lake police began investigating the case after a student reported the conduct to the district’s athletics director earlier this month, charges say.
The teen reported that Cron sent him three lewd images over the social networking site Snapchat on June 10, the complaint said.
He and Cron know each other through lacrosse, the boy told police, according to legal documents. He is on the boys team while Cron coached the girls team. He told officers he has friends on the girls team and would occasionally help the managers of that team when he didn’t have practice.
His communication with Cron on social media began after the teen said he started following her on Instagram, according to legal documents.
Eventually, Cron added him on Snapchat and the two began exchanging “random pictures,” the teen told police, the complaint said.
The communication stalled after Cron sent him three lewd pictures June 10, charges say.
The first two photos depicted her cleavage, according to the complaint.
Taken off guard, the teen said he responded by sending her a picture of his forehead.
When she sent him a third photo of an exposed breast, the teen unfollowed her on the social networking site, legal documents say.
Cron allegedly tried to add him back the following day but he did not accept her request.
Minnesota statute prohibits the distribution of obscene materials and defines “obscene” as anything that “appeals to the prurient interest in sex,” the complaint said.
“An adult woman sending a topless photo to a 14-year-old boy can have no other purpose than to appeal to his ‘prurient interest in sex,’” according to the charging document.
The White Bear Lake Area school district’s website lists Cron as an assistant coach for the girls lacrosse team.
District spokeswoman Marisa Vette said in a Friday afternoon statement that Cron was hired to work for the district’s B-squad lacrosse team last season, which concluded in June.
The district received a complaint about her conduct after her employment, the statement said.
School officials have since “commenced an investigation” into the allegations, Vette said, adding that the inquiry is nearly complete.
Vette declined to comment further due to data privacy laws.
Cron could not be reached and no attorney was listed for her in court records. She has no criminal record in Minnesota.