Former Deer River Assistant Football Coach Charged with Rape

Ethan Hardy

A former Deer River assistant football coach is now charged with raping a woman while coaching the team earlier this fall.

25-year-old Ethan Hardy was charged in Itasca County Court on Monday with one count each of first- and second-degree criminal sexual conduct.

According to the criminal complaint, a woman told police she was on a couch with Hardy at her apartment when she said Hardy put something like a pill or candy in her month, and she felt loopy and blacked out. She told investigators Hardy took her into a bedroom and raped her as she objected, going in and out of consciousness.

A warrant has been issued for Hardy’s arrest. Deer River football coach Brent Schimek told Lakeland News today that Hardy left the team a few weeks ago when the police investigation into the allegations began.