Ex-Minneapolis Teacher Assaulted A Dozen Kids Under 13: Police

MINNEAPOLIS — A former Minneapolis teacher and coach was indicted on 12 counts of criminal sexual conduct, Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty announced Thursday.

The grand jury indictment accuses Aaron Hjermstad, 50, of first-degree criminal sexual conduct involving the penetration of 12 different victims all under the age of 13.

Each count carries a sentence of up to life in prison but with the possibility of parole.

Hjermstad coached many of the victims or one of their relatives, prosecutors said. The assaults occurred from 2013 to 2021, according to investigators.

"The number of children who were sexually assaulted by Hjermstad is horrific," Moriarty said in a statement.

"Hjermstad intentionally harmed children who had every right to trust him as their teacher and coach. We will seek lengthy prison sentences to keep children in our community safe."

The assaults took place while Hjermstad was a physical education and health teacher at The Mastery School and a basketball coach at Hospitality House Youth Development and Harvest Best Academy, authorities said.

Hjermstad is currently serving a 12-year prison sentence for sexually assaulting four boys he had coached.

But before sentencing on those cases, Hjermstad fled the state. In December 2021, he was pulled over and arrested in Idaho.

During the traffic stop, police found data showing thousands of videos of him assaulting children, some at his Brooklyn Center home, according to prosecutors. Among them were the 12 victims in this new case, authorities said.

"As a community, we must do more to help abused children come forward and to provide resources to heal the harm inflicted upon them," Moriarty said. "Abuse is never a child’s fault.”

State and county authorities are encouraging anyone else who was a victim of Hjermstad to come forward "to ensure victims receive the necessary support and resources."