Plea Rejected for Ex-Clearwater Co. Deputy Accused of Sexually Assaulting Students

Neil Dolan

In what’s considered a big twist in the case of a school resource officer accused of sexually assaulting students while in uniform, former Clearwater County Sheriff’s Deputy Neil Dolan was going to plead guilty Friday to two more child sex charges. But the judge said no to the plea agreement.

The 33-year-old Dolan was the school resource officer at Bagley High School. Investigators say he sexually assaulted two students on several occasions. The assaults took place in his office at the school and Dolan was wearing his uniform. Court papers indicated he groomed one of the students.

Dolan was looking at 55 years in prison. The plea deal called for at least 12 years, and it would be served concurrently with the two-year prison sentence his is serving for sexually assaulting a boy at a Boy Scout camp.

Despite the agreement – which prosecutors say the victims in Clearwater County were on board with – Judge Eric Schieferdecker rejected it. He said case law prevented him from saying why he objected, but he did say “I just can’t be a rubber stampe for everything.”

The case will now go to trial in August – or the judge told both sides they could come back with another plea deal.