Accused football coach gets preliminary hearing

• Suspended Minnesota State-Mankato football coach Todd Hoffner faces two felony charges
• While on paid leave, Hoffner has been coaching and officiating youth football
• A candlelight vigil to support Hoffner and his family was held Tuesday

MANKATO, Minn. – The question of whether three cell-phone videos Minnesota State-Mankato coach Todd Hoffner recorded last summer constitute child pornography will begin to be answered at a preliminary hearing today.

Hoffner, 46, faces two felony charges: using minors in a sexual performance or pornographic work and possession of child pornography. According to court records, three videos of naked or partially clothed children were discovered on Hoffner's university-issued cell phone while it was being repaired by a school official. The videos were later determined to be of Hoffner's own children, ages 9, 8 and 5.

Through his attorney, Hoffner has declined all interview requests. Melodee Hoffner, his wife, said in a statement Aug. 27 the charges against her husband were "ridiculous and baseless," and described the videos as "innocent videos of typical kids being silly."

Jim Fleming, Hoffner's attorney, has declined interview requests, as well. Blue Earth County assistant county attorney Michael Hanson hasn't spoken publicly about the case, either. He declined a request made Monday by USA TODAY Sports during a visit to the county attorney's office.

Hoffner remains on paid administrative leave from Minnesota State-Mankato; university spokesman Dan Benson said the school is conducting its own investigation but had no further comment. While on leave, Hoffner helped coach his 8-year-old son's youth football team and officiated games in the youth football league.

Authorities said searches of Hoffner's home and office turned up no other evidence. According to reports in multiple Minnesota newspapers, officials at three universities where Hoffner previously worked have conducted reviews and found no improper conduct, and an investigation by social workers from Blue Earth County found no suspicion the Hoffner's children had been mistreated. Background checks by USA TODAY Sports found no criminal record for Hoffner.

In an affidavit filed Monday with Blue Earth District Court, a local pediatrician said he had not "found or suspected physical or psychological damage" to the children while caring for them since 2008. In the same affidavit, a certified sex therapist who reviewed the videos described them as "normal play" and said they were not lewd or obscene.

In a 92-second video, Hoffner's two daughters and one son are nude. According to court records, two children bend over and pull their buttocks apart, and the son grabs his penis. In a 10-second video, the daughters dance nude; the son is wearing only a football helmet. In a third video, which lasts approximately two minutes, a 5-year-old daughter is awakened, told by a male voice to "go potty," and then followed to the bathroom, the camera focused on her buttocks, "covered with flowered underwear."

According to court records, Hoffner turned in his phone for repair Aug. 10. A school employee found the videos Aug. 14 while attempting to retrieve pictures and videos, at Hoffner's request, in order to transfer them to a new phone. After the employee reported the videos to his supervisor, the university initiated an investigation and informed police.

Hoffner was escorted from the practice field Aug. 17 by a university official and placed on leave. He was arrested four days later and charged with the felonies. He was released after posting $40,000 bond.

Fleming, Hoffner's attorney, has asked prosecutors to drop the charges at least twice. Last week, Fleming filed a motion to dismiss the charges. The motion is expected to be addressed during the hearing today.

The case has drawn wide community interest. Hoffman, who would have started his fifth season as coach of the NCAA Division II program. Without him, the team is 9-0 and ranked No. 6 in the national coaches poll.

In a statement released Tuesday through a public relations firm, the Hoffner family thanked supporters for "hundreds of encouraging cards, letters and e-mails. … The family is overwhelmed by these compassionate and thoughtful expressions." Supporters of Hoffner planned a candlelight vigil outside the family's home Tuesday evening in advance of the hearing.

"I believe this is a terrible situation that has been taken out of context," said Kristine Schimek, a friend and neighbor who organized the vigil. "People are very hypersensitive to (exploitation of) children, and they should be. … It just doesn't add up to me, and it never did from Day One, from knowing the family and what good people they are."