MINNEAPOLIS — A former Minneapolis charter school teacher and coach is already in prison for sexually assaulting four students. On Thursday, a grand jury indicted him on 12 new counts after video of alleged assaults were found.
Aaron Hjermstad, of Brooklyn Center, was indicted by a grand jury on 12 counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct involving penetration. According to the Hennepin County Attorney's Office, the victims are under the age of 13, and many were children he coached or their relatives.
In 2022, Hjermstad was sentenced to 12 years in prison for criminal sexual conduct in cases involving four victims he coached. A spokesperson with the Hennepin County Attorney's Office said the new charges are for 12 additional victims.
“The number of children who were sexually assaulted by Hjermstad is horrific,” said Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty in a press release. “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."
Before being sentenced in the previous case, Hjermstad fled the state, but officials said he was pulled over and arrested in Idaho. It was during that traffic stop data showing thousands of videos of Hjermstad allegedly assaulting children was discovered. A spokesperson with the attorney's office said the new charges stem from those videos.
If convicted, the new charges carry a possible sentence of up to life in prison.
