Former Carlton teacher in court

Former Carlton teacher and girls basketball coach Robert Kent Pioro appeared in Carlton County District Court Wednesday afternoon for an omnibus hearing, which is the next step in the criminal process.

Pioro, though his attorney Mikkel Long, entered a plea of Not Guilty and waived any contested omnibus issues. He asked the matter be set for an intermediate settlement conference, which Judge Robert Macauley set for Nov. 9.

Pioro, 52, was charged July 2 in Carlton County Sixth District Court with three counts of criminal sexual conduct in the third degree for engaging in sexual penetration with a person who was 16 years old when he was in a position of authority over the victim.

Each charge stems from a different incident that occurred in Carlton County — at Four Seasons Recreation Center, South Terrace Elementary School and Carlton High School — all between October 2000 and March 2001 when he was a teacher and coach in the Carlton School District.

If the case is not resolved at the Nov. 9 hearing, Macauley indicated it would be set for a jury trial, with one more settlement conference prior to the trial.