(UPDATED) - Freeborn County Court initially posted that Polley had been committed to St. Cloud State Prison for 2-years.  That has now been updated to indicate the judge ordered a stayed prison term. 

Albert Lea, MN (KROC-AM News) - A former girl's basketball coach for Albert Lea High School has been sentenced for a sexual misconduct conviction.

Court records indicate 35-year-old Richard John Polley was charged as the result of an investigation launched by Albert Lea police in January 2022. The criminal complaint says officers were made aware of a situation involving a 16-year-old girl and Polley, who was employed as a school counselor and basketball coach at the community's high school.

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The court document states that Polley was accused of having sexual relations with the juvenile. The charges say investigators learned the two had regular interactions associated with his job as a counselor and began communicating through Snapchat.

The criminal complaint alleged the teenage girl eventually accepted an invitation to visit Polley's home, where they engaged in sex.

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He was originally charged with third-degree criminal sexual conduct, but later entered a guilty plea to fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct. The plea agreement was worked out after the case went to trial last year and a mistrial was declared. .

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Polley went before a Freeborn County Judge this afternoon and was given a stayed two-year prison sentence. He will also be required to complete five years on probation.

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Gallery Credit: Minnesota Now

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