A former coach and teacher at two Minneapolis charter schools has been indicted by a grand jury on charges of criminal sexual conduct involving 12 victims all under 13 years old, said the Hennepin County Attorney’s office this week.

Aaron Hjermstad was indicted on 12 counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct between 2013 and 2021.

Aaron James Hjermstad (Courtesy of the Minnesota Department of Corrections)

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.

He is already serving a 12-year sentence for sexually assaulting four boys he had coached.

Before he was sentenced for those charges, he fled the state.

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 in the recent indictment.

“The number of children who were sexually assaulted by Hjermstad is horrific,” said Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty. “Hjermstad intentionally harmed children who had every right to trust him as their teacher and coach. We will seek lengthy prison sentences to keep children in our community safe. As a community we must do more to help abused children come forward and to provide resources to heal the harm inflicted upon them. Abuse is never a child’s fault.”

Each of the 12 counts carries a possible sentence of up to life in prison, with possibility of parole.

The Hennepin County Attorney’s Office asked any other victims of Hjermstad to come forward.

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