2 Missing Andover Girls Found in Coach's Burnsville Home
By Sarah Horner
A part-time high school coach is in custody after two missing teenage girls were found in his Burnsville home. The 13-year-old neighbors from Andover were reported missing about 7:45 p.m. Monday after they engaged in electronic conversations with unknown men online. Using "digital forensic methods," detectives tracked the girls to Casey Lee Chinn's residence on the 2400 block of Hayes Court in Burnsville, according to the Anoka County sheriff's office. They were found unharmed inside the single-family home Tuesday afternoon. Chinn, 23, was arrested at the scene on suspicion of solicitation. He has not been charged. "They are as well as can be expected," Cmdr. Paul Sommer said of the girls. "I don't think they understand the gravity of what has taken place." Chinn is a part-time volleyball coach for Cristo Rey Jesuit High School in Minneapolis, according to Annemarie Hansen, communications director for the school. He began his employment there earlier this month and has since been placed on leave per school procedure. The school ran a background check before hiring him, Hansen said. She added that Chinn also completed the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis's mandatory training "Virtus: Protecting God's Children" in 2010. Cristo Rey is cooperating with the ongoing investigation and encouraging any parents with concerns about their child's interactions with Chinn to come forward. "Cristo Rey Jesuit High School takes its students' health and safety very seriously while holding our employees to the highest standard of conduct," the school said in a written statement. Few details were offered about the nature or frequency of Chinn's conversations with the girls other then that they had taken place via text messages and on social media sites. A public plea issued earlier in the day for help finding the teens said authorities had "grave concern" for their safety. Sommer warned parents to be vigilant about their children's online behavior. "Be aware of whatever your kids' presence is on social media because it's not always on the traditional social media sites that predators try to find kids," Sommer said. "Texting apps, video chat apps and most every type of game platform has some sort of a chat component within it... It's not beyond the realm of possibility to think that a predator is going to try and reach your kids using something as innocuous as a word game app." Chinn also served as a volunteer coach for the East Ridge junior varsity baseball team through its booster club during its 2014 season, according to Barbara Brown, director of communications for South Washington County Schools. He was brought into the program after the district conducted a background check and reviewed Chinn's references, Brown said. He no longer has any affiliation with the district. "We are extremely concerned to hear of this issue from our law enforcement community and will act swiftly and accordingly to ensure the safety and well-being of our students," said Superintendent Keith Jacobus. Chinn has no criminal record in Minnesota. He was cited for speeding in 2009. No one answered the phone at the house. Joseph Lindberg contributed to this report. Sarah Horner can be reached at 651-228-5539. Contact: shorner@pioneerpress.com
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