A former Minneapolis teacher and coach was sentenced to life in prison Tuesday in connection with 12 counts of rape and sexual assault of victims under 13 years old.
Aaron James Hjermstad (Courtesy of the Minnesota Department of Corrections)
Aaron James Hjermstad, 46, pleaded guilty in September to 12 counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct involving victims under 13 years that took place between 2013 and 2021.
In addition to being sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 30 years, Hjermstad must register as a predatory offender and will be on lifetime conditional release if he is ever paroled.
“My thoughts today are solely with the many victims in this case. What they endured as children is nothing short of horrifying,” Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said. “Mr. Hjermstad is being held accountable, and a sentence of this length removes the possibility of further harm at his hands for decades to come.”
The attorney’s office said Hjermstad had coached many of the children or one of their family members. Hjermstad worked as a physical education and health teacher at The Mastery School and a basketball coach at Hospitality House Youth Development and Harvest Best Academy.
At the time he was charged, he’d already been convicted for similar assaults against 3 other victims, but he fled the state before he was sentenced.
In December 2021 he was caught in Idaho during a traffic stop. Law enforcement officials found thousands of videos showing him assaulting children. Some of the videos were taken at his Brooklyn Center home including footage with the 12 victims which led to the additional charges.
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