Former Barnum basketball coach sentenced

A former Barnum basketball coach has been sentenced on one count of criminal sexual conduct. Andrew Palmer faces seven years of probation, which includes one year in the Carlton County Jail or NERCC.

Palmer had been charged in January with three felony charges of third-degree criminal sexual conduct for a series of alleged incidents involving a 17-year-old player on the team. Palmer pleaded guilty in October.

The criminal complaint says the parent of the teen notified the Moose Lake Police Department about suspected criminal sexual conduct. The complaint alleged this happened with the teen three times, with the first occurring at Palmer’s house on New Year’s Day.

The teen told authorities she felt pressured, because he was her coach and didn’t feel like she could say no to him.

The Barnum School Board terminated Palmer as the head girls basketball coach without public discussion as part of the consent agenda at a School Board meeting in February. The termination was retroactive to Jan. 22, and Palmer had already been removed from his role coaching the team.