This former teacher may have sexually abused more than 120 children
Teacher abuse case: Staggering number of victims
A former Twin Cities area teacher and coach who sexually abused young boys may have targeted at least 127 different children over the span of eight years, according to a search warrant obtained by the FOX 9 Investigators.
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - A former Twin Cities-area teacher and coach who sexually abused young boys may have targeted at least 127 different children over the span of eight years, according to a search warrant obtained by the FOX 9 Investigators.
Former students shed light on teacher's sex abuse
What they're saying:
Two former students who say they were not even teenagers when they were sexually abused by Aaron Hjermstad. He was their P.E. teacher and basketball coach at Excell Academy in Brooklyn Park.
One of Hjermstad’s first known victims told the FOX 9 Investigators he was abused during an overnight sleepover at Hjermstad’s house.
"I’m just thinking like, it’s my coach," the former student said. "I opened my eyes in the middle of my sleep and my hand was on his private part."
The student reported the abuse to police in 2015 but no charges were ever filed at the time. Hjermstad would go on to abuse more children.
"I know I’m not the only one," the former student said.
Warrant suggests 127 child victims targeted by former teacher
By the numbers:
In 2021, Hjermstad was convicted of sexually abusing four young boys. Prior to sentencing, he was found with a large number of videos, which are now evidence in a new, expanding investigation.
The videos were highly organized and labeled with the initials of child victims, according to a search warrant obtained by the FOX 9 Investigators.
There were 127 different sets of initials.
"He is one of the most prolific offenders I’ve ever encountered in four decades," said attorney Jeff Anderson.
Anderson has handled some of the most high-profile sex abuse cases in the country, including against the Catholic Church and the Boy Scouts.
"Hjermstad targeted a particular group of kids– underprivileged, young black kids," Anderson said. "He videotaped dozens and dozens of them in his home as he violated them."
‘They told me that one of my children was in those tapes’
The mother of one of the former students told the FOX 9 Investigators they only learned about the abuse after law enforcement showed up at their home last year.
"They told me that one of my children was in those tapes and videos," she said.
If you or someone you know is a survivor of sexual abuse or violence, contact the Minnesota Day One Crisis Line.
The former student said investigators showed him photos and video of him unconscious and being sexually targeted and abused by Hjermstad.
"I do think I was drugged. Every time we took a shower, he’d give us a shower snack… and maybe 30 minutes, an hour later, we’d all go to sleep."
The student’s mother called Hjermstad a "monster."
Making of a Monster: Hjermstad’s path of abuse spanned several years and multiple schools
Timeline:
Hjermstad was initially investigated for sexual abuse several years before he was ultimately charged.
In 2015, a student at Excell Academy reported Hjermstad sexually abused him during an overnight sleepover at his house. A police investigation was opened but no charges were filed at the time.
That student’s mother said it was "pushed under the rug or dismissed."
Hjermstad left Excell Academy after the school decided not to renew his teaching contract. While the school reported Hjermstad to police, court records show no evidence the school reported him to the state’s teaching board which oversees licensing.
The FOX 9 Investigators found Hjermstad’s case, as well as another case involving a teacher recently charged with sexually abusing a student, exposed a flaw in the state’s mandated reporting requirements.
Excell Academy did not previously comment on those findings and has not provided personnel records requested by the FOX 9 Investigators.
Hjermstad kept his teaching license and in the summer of 2016, he was hired at Mastery School (now known as Harvest Best Academy) in Minneapolis as a P.E. teacher and coach.
He went on to abuse more children, including students at Best Academy.
What's next:
Hjermstad is currently serving a 12-year prison sentence for sex crimes committed against four young boys. In September 2024, a grand jury indicted him on 12 additional counts.
The criminal investigation continues into Hjermstad’s path of abuse.
Dig deeper:
Hjermstad is also at the heart of an ongoing civil lawsuit filed against Best Academy, accusing the school of negligent hiring and failing to conduct any reference checks.