SENTENCED: 24 months in prison for former soccer coach, school aid accused of sexual assault

MILWAUKEE COUNTY (WITI) -- 39-year-old Matthew Barr, who served as a soccer coach and aide at Waukesha North High School -- charged in connection with the sexual assault of a 14-year-old girl has been sentenced in the case against him.

Barr initially faced a felony charge of first degree sexual assault -- intercourse with a person under 16, using threat of force and violence.

Matthew Barr

That charge was amended -- and Barr faced two felony charges: second degree sexual assault of a child, and strangulation/suffocation.

Barr pleaded guilty to second degree sexual assault of a child.

In court on Thursday, July 31st, Barr was sentenced to 24 months in prison -- with credit for 97 days served.

He will serve 36 months of extended supervision.

Following the allegations against Barr involving the 14-year-old, another teen came forward -- one day after Barr made his initial court appearance in this case.

That teen says she was harassed for months by Barr, and at one point, he asked intimate questions about what she was wearing.

"He was asking me what kind of underwear I wore. I never answered any of his messages," said the teen.

A Waukesha North High School teen says she received three to four text messages a day, for more than a month, from Barr. The teen says it happened two years ago when Barr was a soccer coach at the school.

"I think everything should be done to get him to stop from doing this again," said the teen.

Barr sat in court, as allegations surfaced the former soccer coach and school aide sexually assaulted and tried to suffocate a 14-year-old girl in Oak Creek.

As Oak Creek police continued to investigate, the Waukesha teen says she showed the text messages to her mother as soon as she got them.

"Her getting messages, 'oh I thought I just saw you walking down the street. Are you wearing those shorts? Do you have a blue tank top on? If it wasn't you, what are you wearing?'" said the teen's mother.

Both the mother and daughter say they brought the text messages to the principal.

"The principal took pictures of the messages off of my phone, and then she showed him the messages. He was able to resign instead of getting fired," said the teen.

Barr left the district after the incident, which is when the mother then turned to the police.

"The officer there said they could not do anything because they didn't feel it had gone far enough," said the teen's mother.

This mother and daughter say nothing happened to Barr, and after hearing of his current legal troubles, both fear the alleged sexual assault could have been prevented, had Barr been investigated after the inappropriate texts.

"He was at Brookfield before he was at North - how many girls are going to come forward from there?" said the teen's mother.

The criminal complaint against Barr in the case involving the 14-year-old girl says Barr took the girl, who is a family friend, to Milwaukee to meet his children "over her spring break."

On Tuesday, April 22nd, the complaint indicates Barr and the girl were at the Comfort Suites near 13th and College on Milwaukee's south side. After coaching an athletic event, the complaint says Barr returned to the hotel and "asked (the girl) to get into bed with him." That allegedly led to inappropriate touching and later an alleged sexual assault. The complaint says the girl "tried screaming but the defendant blocked her face with a pillow."

According to the criminal complaint, the girl "didn't say anything" because "she felt it was her fault;" that she "could just keep it a secret."

The complaint indicates the assault was later revealed when the mother of the girl found a text message on her daughters phone that read, "I need a naughty picture of you tonight." The complaint indicates that message was from Barr.

The allegations cost Barr his position as a coach with the Croatian Eagles Soccer Club. The club's president says they severed ties with him on April 28th after police informed them of the allegations.

Barr had previously coached at Waukesha North High School where he was also a school aide, he left both positions in 2012.

Related stories: