A former St. Paul charter school substitute teacher was sentenced Tuesday to five years of probation and ordered to serve 160 hours community service for sexually assaulting a 17-year-old student in her classroom.

Caitlin Kalia Thao, 25, of St. Paul, pleaded guilty in July to an added charge of felony fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct in connection with assaulting a teenage boy this year at St. Paul City School. She was originally charged May 2 with felony third-degree criminal sexual conduct.

Caitlin Kalia Thao (Courtesy of the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office)

Thao, a married mother of two children, resigned from her job on Feb. 27, four days after St. Paul police received a report of alleged sexual misconduct with the boy and a day after school administration confronted her with the accusations.

The school said Thao was hired as a paraprofessional on Feb. 21, 2023, and became a substitute teacher after getting her license in December.

According to the criminal complaint, police on Feb. 23, 2024, received a report of alleged sexual misconduct regarding Thao and a student. The school’s then-interim executive director told police of complaints from staff and others about Thao having “inappropriate behavior with students,” the complaint says. Thao was asked to meet with a school principal on Feb. 26, then resigned.

Police spoke with the boy on March 13. He said that Thao was “overly nice” and that they would talk through messenger apps. Thao called him handsome and would flirt with him, the boy said, according to the complaint. He said he flirted back “because she would buy stuff for him and his friends.”

The boy told police the sexual encounter occurred in a middle school classroom about a month and a half prior after she had invited him to her classroom through a text before a sports game.

Thao then sent him an Instagram message about it and invited him to her place when her husband wasn’t home. The boy declined the offer.

The complaint says that on March 9 a Regions Hospital social worker completed a child maltreatment form after Thao herself reported that she had a “sexual relationship” with a 17‐year‐old student she met in a class she had taught.

Thao did not respond to requests from police for an interview, the complaint says.

St. Paul City School, located along University Avenue near the Capitol, has operated since 1998. It has 600 students from preschool through grade 12 and employs 64 licensed staff members and 84 nonlicensed staff members, according to a March brochure.

‘Breach of trust’

Thao’s plea deal with the prosecution called for a stayed prison sentence and an executed six months in jail.

Assistant Ramsey County Attorney Wes Abrahamson on Tuesday asked Ramsey County District Judge John Guthmann to give Thao six months of electronic home monitoring, pointing out that she is now pregnant with her third child — and out of a job.

Thao’s attorney, Peter Lindstrom, asked for 30 days of electronic home monitoring.

Guthmann noted how a presentence investigation recommended that her treatment included engaging in “prosocial activities.”

“I’m concerned about your baby,” Guthmann said. “I’m concerned about the life the baby will lead. I’m concerned about other side effects that occur with childbirth, such as postpartum depression. And if I isolate you, whether it be in jail or electronic home confinement, where you can’t get out in the community, is there a risk of unintended consequences that will be counterproductive?”

But Guthmann went on to say her offense a “breach of trust” and “probably about the worst thing a person in your profession can do” and added that “there needs to be meaningful consequence and a commitment to you or and by you to your community.”

“It isn’t perfect,” he said of the sentence. “But I think it is going to be best for you and your family and the community.”

Related Articles

State Patrol now says trooper was fired after May crash that killed teen in Rochester

Cottage Grove man had nearly 85 kilograms of meth in his garage, police say

JonBenét Ramsey TV series to feature Melissa McCarthy, Clive Owen on Paramount+

St. Paul police investigating fatal daytime shooting

Police identify man, armed with an AK-47, who terrorized South Minneapolis neighborhood

Classic rock band Arch Allies will headline a fundraiser this month for the Yellow Ribbon Alliance of the Lower St. Croix Valley. The band bills itself as the “ultimate six-pack of rock tribute show” bands playing “hits of Bon Jovi, Journey, Styx, REO Speedwagon, Boston, Def Leppard and a chaser.”

“Field of Bands” will be held noon to 8 p.m. Sept. 21 at the Washington County Fairgrounds in Baytown Township. Also playing: Wayward Boyz Klub, GNO (Girls Night Out) and Westside. Arch Allies is scheduled to play from 6:30 to 8:15 p.m.

The event will celebrate veterans and service members and honor the memory of former Lakeland Shores mayor Randy Kopesky, who helped found the Yellow Ribbon Alliance of the Lower St. Croix Valley, an organization that raises money to provide the annual Veterans Day dinner along with support and assistance for active military members and veterans and their families residing in the Lower St. Croix Valley area.

Kopesky died in November 2019 when he was struck by a driver on the shoulder of Interstate 94.

“This year is the fifth Field of Bands event,” said Cindie Reiter, a member of the alliance. “Randy is missed tremendously at this time year as he was a driving force in the creation of the Yellow Ribbon Alliance.”

Tickets are $25 in advance and $35 on the day of show; children 12 and under are free. Food trucks, wine and beer will be available at the event; no coolers will be allowed.

Attendees are asked to use the south entrance of the Washington County Fairgrounds on 40th Street and to bring their own chairs; limited picnic table seating is available. Parking is free.

For more information, go to 5cityyellowribbon.com.

Related Articles

Cottage Grove man had nearly 85 kilograms of meth in his garage, police say

Stillwater motorcyclist killed in crash at Highways 95 and 36

Oakdale officer justified in use of deadly force during March standoff

Cottage Grove man drowns at western Wisconsin’s Kinnickinnic State Park

Obituary: For former Forest Lake Police Chief Dave Schwartz, ‘the call to public service was strong’

Imagine using cooking oil, cover crops, tree limbs, roots, foliage and other nature-based ingredients as a made-in-Minnesota replacement for jet fuel.

When it comes to promoting regional economic development, “sustainable aviation fuel” isn’t necessarily the first image that comes to mind. Nevertheless, a coalition of the state’s leading businesses announced major milestones on Tuesday in developing a supply chain that will begin with a converted ethanol plant in Luverne and rely on a new blending facility in Rosemount to deliver a steady supply of sustainable fuel to the Delta Airlines hub at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport.

That’s no small undertaking: Delta’s MSP operations alone require 250 million gallons of fuel annually. The airline is aiming to convert 10% of its U.S.-based fuel consumption to sustainable aviation fuel, or SAF, by 2030, and organizers predict other corporate customers are likely to follow.

Key aspects of the end-to-end supply chain are still in early stages of development, including the planned new blending facility at Flint Hills Resources’ Pine Bend refinery in Rosemount.

Still, the progress to date is a culmination of a year-long effort led by the Greater MSP Partnership, a St. Paul-based economic development association that counts St. Paul and Minneapolis as dues-paying members. Key partners in the burgeoning initiative include Bank of America, Ecolab and Xcel Energy.

In June 2023, Minnesota became one of the first states to enact a tax credit and construction incentive to support the development of SAF.

The impact will be showcased this week when the three-day North American SAF conference lands at the St. Paul RiverCentre. Speakers include representatives of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S. Department of Transportation, U.S. Department of Energy and the Federal Aviation Administration.

A year of SAF work

Proponents believe they’ll be able to reduce the lifecycle carbon emissions of jet fuel by more than 80%. If successful, it will be the first large-scale, end-to-end, sustainable aviation fuel supply chain in the nation, with a target market that could extend beyond Minnesota.

Current certification standards allow up to 50% neat SAF to be blended with regular jet fuel, known in the industry as Jet A. The problem? Experts say there’s not enough sustainable aviation fuel produced today to fuel the world’s airlines for a single week.

To boost production in Minnesota, efforts this past year include:

• Backed by Delta Air Lines, Flint Hill Resources is developing the state’s first SAF blending facility, with the goal of blending up to 30 million gallons of neat SAF annually at the Pine Bend refinery. The goal is to have the facility up and running by the end of 2025, at which point it will likely be the first non-coastal facility in the nation that can blend SAF with conventional jet fuel. The blended fuel will be delivered through the existing Flint Hills pipeline to MSP International, Delta’s second largest U.S. hub.

• Bank of America, Deloitte, Delta, and Ecolab have formed a “demand consortium” to purchase the first several million gallons of SAF each year. The goal is to jumpstart demand, drive down costs and rev up the market while offsetting carbon emissions related to their own employees’ business travel.

• In August, the Federal Aviation Administration announced a $16.8 million “Inflation Reduction Act” grant to convert an existing ethanol and isobutanol fuel facility in Luverne into an alcohol-to-jet fuel facility for SAF production. The plant will support the first conversion of Minnesota crops to SAF within the state.

• The University of Minnesota is developing a novel crop called winter camelina seed that can be used for multiple purposes, including producing oil for conversion into SAF. The goal is to bring the first shipment of camelina-derived SAF to MSP International this fall.

Greater MSP has predicted that key aspects of SAF production, from financing to storage and blending, will be established in Minnesota by the end of 2027, with large-scale production to follow beginning around 2028 and broader industry growth after 2035.

Related Articles

Letters: Please wake up, fellow Democrats. Cities have limited budgets

Global outage: Check flight status before heading to MSP airport, officials urge

Sheldon Jacobson: What can the FAA and TSA do to handle spikes in flyers?

In plea, airport Chick-fil-A manager admits embezzling from employer, allegedly spent it on jewelry and OnlyFans

ROCHESTER, Minn. — The Minnesota State Patrol now says it has closed its investigation and dismissed Shane Roper, the state trooper involved in a fatal crash that killed 18-year-old Olivia Flores in May.

Last week, the agency said that Roper, 32, was no longer employed there but didn’t say why.

But State Patrol documents reveal an internal investigation into Roper’s actions was opened on May 18, the date of the three-vehicle crash that killed Flores and injured five others. According to the documents, Roper violated five general orders, or MSP operating policies and procedures, including oath of a Minnesota state trooper; conduct for sworn members; patrol unit, operation and maintenance; patrolling and parking; and emergency vehicle operations.

According to the statement of charges against Roper, Jeremy Geiger, the assistant chief of the State Patrol, said Roper’s actions were “reckless” and demonstrated a “clear violation” of MSP’s policies.

“Trp. Roper’s conduct has seriously undermined his integrity and trustworthiness with the public. His conduct shows a disregard for the State Patrol’s mission of traffic safety and reflects discredit upon the agency,” the state of charges said. “There is simply no justification for Trp. Roper’s decision to speed through this intersection.”

The letter of discharge, filed by Col. Christina Bogojevic, informed Roper that his last day was Sept. 3. His dismissal was reported to the Minnesota Peace Officers Standards and Training Board.

Roper had previously violated 10 general orders since 2019 across four incidents before the fatal crash on May 18, 2024. His disciplinary records revealed four prior crashes caused by inattentive driving or excessive speed. In two of the incidents, Roper received a one-day suspension, records show.

Roper is now facing nine criminal charges in Olmsted County District Court, including felony counts of second-degree manslaughter, criminal vehicular homicide and criminal vehicular operation. He pleaded not guilty to all nine counts on Aug. 29. His next court appearance is scheduled for November.

According to the criminal complaint, Roper quickly approached the intersection of Apache Drive Southwest, an area where the primary entry points to the Apache Mall are located. This area tends to have “very active traffic … on a typical Saturday.”

When Roper’s car was 400 feet from the intersection, the squad camera showed a green traffic signal for eastbound traffic. A larger SUV also traveling east entered the left turn lane to go onto Memorial Parkway Southwest, obstructing the view for vehicles turning onto Apache Drive Southwest, the complaint said.

A Ford Focus with three passengers was in that turn lane and attempted to drive through the intersection.

“Due to Roper’s excessive speed (traveling 83 miles per hour and at full throttle up until 1.4 seconds before impact), when the Ford Focus started through the intersection, Roper was unable to sufficiently brake or maneuver his squad car to avoid the collision,” the complaint says.

Roper’s squad car hit the passenger side of the Ford Focus while traveling at least 55 mph. The impact sent both cars east through the intersection to collide with a Toyota Rav4. There were two people in the Toyota.

Witnesses told police that the oncoming vehicle was “flying.” Witnesses did not see or hear emergency lights or a siren.

According to the complaint, the Ford Focus driver suffered a liver laceration, a bruised kidney and numerous additional minor injuries. The front passenger suffered a broken pelvis, lacerated kidney and other minor injuries. The passengers of the Toyota Rav4 suffered physical pain from the collision. In the squad car, Roper had a ride-along passenger who suffered rib bruising and multiple fractures from the crash.

Weeks after the incident, Roper confirmed to law enforcement that he was attempting to “close the gap” between his squad car and a vehicle suspected of being in violation of a traffic code, the Rochester Post Bulletin previously reported. Roper said it was not an active pursuit and that he was not paying attention to his speed, according to the criminal complaint. He told police he did believe his lights were activated.

The complaint said Roper was also found traveling at 135 mph in a 55-mph zone on May 18 in response to a medical assistance call.

“On the way to this call, he noted to his passenger that medical assistance likely would not be needed and that driving in such a manner was normal behavior for him,” the complaint said.

Related Articles

Cottage Grove man had nearly 85 kilograms of meth in his garage, police say

JonBenét Ramsey TV series to feature Melissa McCarthy, Clive Owen on Paramount+

St. Paul police investigating fatal daytime shooting

Police identify man, armed with an AK-47, who terrorized South Minneapolis neighborhood

Motorist now faces third-degree murder charges for Park Tavern DWI crash that killed 2, injured 9