A former Minneapolis teacher and coach already serving time for sexually assaulting four boys has now been sentenced to life in prison after pleading guilty to 12 additional counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct.
Aaron Hjermstad, 46, previously worked at two Minneapolis charter schools — The Mastery School and Harvest Best Academy. He was originally convicted in 2022 for sexually assaulting boys he coached and received a 12-year prison sentence.
Before that sentencing, Hjermstad was stopped by authorities in Idaho, where investigators discovered thousands of videos depicting him assaulting children. This led to a new indictment on 12 additional charges, all of which he pleaded guilty to in September.
According to prosecutors:
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All 12 victims were under age 13
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The assaults occurred between 2013 and 2021
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Many victims were boys he coached or relatives of children he worked with
Hjermstad’s new life sentence allows for possible parole after 30 years, but he would remain on lifetime conditional release and be required to register as a predatory offender.
“My thoughts today are solely with the many victims in this case,” Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said. “What they endured as children is nothing short of horrifying.”
Hjermstad has been credited with 1,457 days of time served.
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