A former Tartan High School band director who sexually assaulted one of his music students at DeLaSalle High School in Minneapolis was sentenced Monday to four months in the workhouse and five years of probation.

Daniel James Felton, 32, pleaded guilty in May in Hennepin County District Court to the sole count of felony third-degree criminal sexual conduct after reaching an agreement with the prosecution.

Judge Sarah Hudleston imposed the longest jail term allowed under the plea deal. The sentence includes a stay of imposition, which means the felony conviction will be considered a misdemeanor if he successfully complies with the conditions of his probation.

Felton was the music director at DeLaSalle for nearly two years before leaving the school in August 2022 for Tartan in Oakdale, according to his now-deleted LinkedIn profile.

Felton was put on leave from Tartan on Feb. 13, four days after a personal injury lawsuit was filed against him and DeLaSalle in Hennepin County District Court. He resigned from Tartan on Feb. 26.

Felton was also a Twin Cities professional gospel musician and a band director at The Holy Christian Church International, which his parents founded on St. Paul’s West Side in 2000. His father serves as its senior pastor, his mother the director of women’s affairs, the church’s website says.

Felton was living in Brooklyn Park with his now ex-wife and three daughters when the civil suit surfaced. They moved to Celina, Texas, before the criminal case was filed in August 2024.

Judge Hudleston agreed to a request by Felton’s attorney that he serve the sentence at a Texas jail so that he can retain work as a “utilities concierge,” which involves helping apartment complexes set up utilities for tenants. He’ll be allowed work release after a week in custody, electronic home monitoring after a month.

Assaulted in his car

The criminal complaint says the victim went to Minneapolis police in January 2024 and reported Felton assaulted her several times beginning in April 2022, which was her senior year at DeLaSalle. She said he was her band and choir teacher during her junior and senior years.

Felton added her on Instagram in April 2022 and began sending direct messages, which became sexual, she reported.

She said the first assault happened that month after Felton offered her a ride home after a concert. Instead of driving straight home, she told police, he took her to an empty parking lot and touched her in a “sexual manner,” placing his hand on her inner thigh, the complaint says. She reported the interaction made her feel uncomfortable and she asked him to take her home.

Additional sexual assaults took place between April 2022 and August 2022, mostly in his car, she told police. She reported he would “emotionally coerce” her into sex acts.

Police were given Instagram messages that Felton and the girl purportedly exchanged between April 2022 and September 2022. The messages include Felton telling her multiple times he loves her and describing in detail what he wanted to do to her, the complaint says.

Civil case pending

The civil case was filed Feb. 9 by the Minneapolis law firm Storms Dworak on behalf of the victim, who is listed as “Jane Doe.” It includes screenshots of sexually-explicit Instagram messages purportedly sent to the girl by Felton and alleges several assaults, including one in his DeLaSalle office.

The lawsuit remains pending in court, with a judge halting further proceedings in September until the criminal case was concluded.

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Felton also worked as a music teacher at Roosevelt High School in Minneapolis from January 2016 to early November 2018. He taught in the Osseo school district in 2018 and 2019, then for the Spring Lake Park school district until leaving for DeLaSalle.

He had earned a bachelor’s degree in music from Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, Minn., and then a master’s degree in music education from the University of Minnesota.

Felton was the second Tartan teacher to resign in February 2024 amid sexual misconduct allegations. Ann Margaret Bacon, 26, of Hastings, quit her special education job at the school on Feb. 8, the same day Oakdale police interviewed her after Tartan administration and a school resource officer received a report that she had sex with an 18-year-old male student at a Vadnais Heights hotel room and at her St. Paul apartment.

She’s pleaded guilty to felony third-degree criminal sexual conduct alleging a prohibited occupational relationship, and a jury trial is scheduled for October.

By SCOTT BAUER, Associated Press

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — A federal judge on Tuesday allowed the case to proceed against a Wisconsin judge accused of helping a man evade U.S. immigration agents seeking to arrest him in her courthouse.

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Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Hannah Dugan was arrested at the county courthouse in April and indicted on federal charges in May. She quickly filed a motion to dismiss the charges.

U.S. District Judge Lynne Adelman on Tuesday rejected Dugan’s motion. A magistrate judge in July had recommended the case proceed. Adelman’s decision could be appealed to the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Attorneys for Dugan had no immediate comment.

Dugan has pleaded not guilty to helping the man in the country illegally try to evade authorities. No trial date has been set. She faces up to six years in prison and a $350,000 fine if convicted on both counts.

The case highlighted a clash between President Donald Trump’s administration and local authorities over the Republican’s sweeping immigration crackdown.

Democrats have accused the Trump administration of trying to make a national example of Dugan to chill judicial opposition to its deportation efforts.

Dugan filed a motion in May to dismiss the charges against her, saying she was acting in her official capacity as a judge and therefore is immune to prosecution. She argued that the federal government violated Wisconsin’s sovereignty by disrupting a state courtroom and prosecuting a state judge.

Dugan also argued that the prosecution under federal law violated the U.S. Constitution’s separation of powers because it overrides the state of Wisconsin’s ability to administer its courts.

But the judge rejected her arguments.

Dugan is charged with concealing an individual to prevent arrest, a misdemeanor, and obstruction, which is a felony. Prosecutors say she escorted Eduardo Flores-Ruiz, 31, and his lawyer out of her courtroom through a back door on April 18 after learning that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents were in the courthouse seeking to arrest him for being in the country without permanent legal status.

Agents arrested Flores-Ruiz outside the courthouse after a brief foot chase.

Dugan’s case is similar to one brought during the first Trump administration against a Massachusetts judge, who was accused of helping a man sneak out a courthouse back door to evade a waiting immigration enforcement agent. That case was eventually dismissed.

By STEVE PEOPLES, AP National Politics Writer

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Democratic National Committee planned to clarify its position on the Israel-Hamas war this week. But after a surprise reversal, it may be several months before DNC officials adopt a formal position on an issue that has divided their party perhaps more than any other.

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The debate played out on Tuesday as the DNC gathered in a downtown Minneapolis hotel behind a security checkpoint for its annual summer meeting.

There were two competing resolutions that addressed the war and the related humanitarian crisis in Gaza: The first, introduced by the committee’s progressive wing, called for an arms embargo and the suspension of military aid to Israel; the other, backed by DNC Chair Ken Martin, offered more context from Israel’s perspective while calling for an immediate ceasefire, the unconditional release of all hostages and the unrestricted delivery of humanitarian assistance — including food, water, medicine and shelter — to civilians in Gaza.” It also reaffirmed the Democrats’ support for a two-state solution.

The DNC’s Resolutions Committee voted to support Martin’s version and voted down the progressives’ preference. But after a brief debate, Martin surprised many in the crowded hotel ballroom by deciding to withdraw his measure.

He called instead for members to form a task force to study the issue further.

“As we’ve seen there’s divide in our party on this issue,” Martin said. “I’ve decided today, at this moment, to listen … so we can move forward united today and have the conversation.”

The delay prolongs a sensitive political debate that has divided Democrats for much of the last year. Resolutions Committee members said they received nearly 5,000 emails about the resolution from activists on both sides ahead of Tuesday’s vote.

Even when the party adopts a formal position — if at all — the issue threatens to continue dividing Democratic voters heading into next year’s midterm elections. Any DNC resolution would be a symbolic measure with no real power.

DNC member Allison Minnerly of Florida, who sponsored the progressive version, said she was disappointed by Martin’s decision.

“There needs to be urgency,” Minnerly said. “The majority of our party is looking for answers and leadership on this issue.”

It’s unclear when Martin’s yet-unformed task force would report back with an updated position. Martin did not offer a timeline. The DNC is expected to meet again in December.

Harini Krishnan, a DNC member from California, was among several officials to express their frustration.

“I also want to say that I truly hope as a party that we can move beyond this issue,” she said.

Hamas has been designated as a terrorist organization by the United States, Canada and the European Union.

By JOCELYN NOVECK, AP National Writer

It’s a love story and, baby, she said yes: Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce are engaged, they announced Tuesday.

In a five-photo joint post on Instagram, the superstar singer and football player revealed their engagement, the fairytale culmination of a courtship that for two years has thrilled and fascinated millions around the world, but especially Swifties, the pop star’s enormous and ardent fan base.

“Your English teacher and your gym teacher are getting married,” the caption read, accompanied by an emoji of a dynamite stick.

Kelce was a famous football player when they met — a star tight end for the Kansas City Chiefs and a Super Bowl champion — but Swift’s unique level of fame catapulted him into a different orbit entirely. Their relationship was documented in countless shots of Swift celebrating at Chiefs games and fan videos of Kelce dancing along at Swift’s Eras concert tour as it traveled the globe.

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