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Twin Cities teacher, coach pleads guilty to more sexual abuse
A former Twin Cities area teacher and coach who was previously convicted of sexually abusing young boys spanning multiple schools pleaded guilty to a dozen new charges Thursday. The plea deal comes with a life sentence with the possibility of parole after 30 years. FOX 9's Nathan O'Neal has the update.
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - A former Twin Cities area teacher and coach who was previously convicted of sexually abusing young boys spanning multiple schools pleaded guilty to a dozen new charges Thursday. The plea deal comes with a life sentence with the possibility of parole after 30 years.
Hjermstad’s path of abuse spanned several years and multiple schools
What we know:
Aaron Hjermstad is currently serving a 12-year prison sentence for sex crimes committed against four young boys dating back to 2015.
In September 2024, a grand jury indicted him on 12 additional counts.
On Thursday, Hjermstad pleaded guilty to the charges contained in the indictment and will avoid a second criminal trial, which was scheduled to begin next week.
Hjermstad is scheduled to be sentenced on Nov. 25.
Former students shed light on teacher sex abuse
What they're saying:
Two former students who say they were not even teenagers when they were sexually abused by 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.
In court Thursday, Hjermstad admitted one child was only 5 years old at the time of the abuse.
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."
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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.
‘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 (of) those tapes and videos," she said.
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," he said. "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."
Dig deeper:
Hjermstad was also at the heart of a civil lawsuit filed against Best Academy, which accused the school of negligent hiring and failing to conduct reference checks. Earlier this month, a settlement was reached in the case, according to a court filing.