The case against a former West Fargo, North Dakota, high school swim coach who was charged with sexual assault on a minor in January 2025 has been dropped.
Ronald Hehn, now 39, was booked into Cass County Jail on January 31, 2025 on a charge of gross sexual imposition with a victim under 15 years of age.
The charge carried a minimum of five years in prison, five years of supervised probation and sex offender registration.
On Tuesday, Assistant State Attorney Jason Van Horn filed a motion in East Central District Court to dismiss the case against Hehn, as first reported by KVRR News, citing his inability to prepare for trial after failing to secure meetings with the victim or the victim’s family prior to the scheduled court date.
Court records show that the alleged victim’s mother sent a letter to the prosecutor on January 30 stating that neither she nor her child would attend the trial.
Van Horn explained that the uncertainty around whether the key witnesses would appear led to the decision to dismiss the case rather than proceed to trial.
According to police, Hehn was giving the alleged victim swimming lessons in a private pool at an apartment complex when the victim told him that her legs were sore from her previous training. Hehn offered to massage them, and the victim said that Hehn touched her butt and private parts during the massage, which lasted about 20 minutes.
After Hehn denied touching the victim or giving her a massage at all, police obtained surveillance video from the apartment complex that appeared to show him touching the victim inappropriately.
Hehn was fired as the swim coach of West Fargo High School in 2018 after posting videos online of swimmers appearing to struggle while swimming with weight belts.
A 2008 and 2012 Olympic Trials qualifier, Hehn swam collegiately at Indiana University. He finished 30th in the 200 breaststroke and 31st in the 100 breaststroke at the 2008 NCAA Championships, 54th in the 100 breast at the 2008 Olympic Trials, and 139th in the 100 breast at the 2012 Olympic Trials.
Still eligible to coach according to safe sport data base. Safe sport does not protect women and girls.
This is a huge hole in the fence that I have been screaming about for years with Safe Sport, but they legitimately don’t care to fix it.
In addition to stuff like this, a bunch of coaches get popped for domestic violence incidents too which don’t often get prosecuted because the spouse doesn’t want to go through with pressing charges, and if you point it out it’s, “Shame on you! Those charges were dropped!”.
No one’s going to hire him, at least.
Wow. This one kind of baffles.
Trump would have pardoned him anyway
Or asked for tips
Does anybody find it odd that nearly all ppl here with charges of sexual assault have qualified for the Olympics or at least qualified for it?
What?
Nope, not at all
Most coaches have impressive competition resumes. You’re looking for causation based on correlation.
I have been around this man, and I can say, regardless of how this trial turned out I will keep my distance.
Can’t they still prosecute if they have video evidence of it? He should still be on some registry
Sad the young woman won’t see justice and this shmuck will probably announce his commitment to the Enhanced Games next week.
Yes sad she won’t see justice, but kind of a stupid unrelated comment about the enhanced games considering it is not all related to sexual assault…enhanced games is here, get over it. If it’s written in the rules it’s legal.