A former Minnesota special education teacher is accused of renting motel rooms on several occasions to have sex with a student.
Ann Margaret Bacon, 24, was arrested and charged on Monday in Ramsey County District Court with one count of felony third-degree criminal sexual conduct, according to a criminal complaint.
Bacon, of Hastings, is a former teacher of students with developmental and cognitive disabilities at Tartan High School in Oakdale, Minnesota. She was also a varsity assistant for the dance team for two years, according to KSTP-TV.
A witness reportedly told school officials that Bacon was having a sexual relationship with a student. However, Bacon denied having “inappropriate interactions with students,” and no disciplinary action was taken because there was no apparent evidence, USA Today reported.
In July, a witness informed law enforcement that Bacon and the victim allegedly began having sex in May 2023, according to court records. At the time, the victim was reportedly still a student in Bacon’s class.
According to the criminal complaint, the witness alleged that Bacon provided alcohol to minors and “smoked weed” with the juveniles. Bacon denied purchasing alcohol for minors.
The witness reported Bacon again this month, stressing her role “as a special education teacher, who had access to vulnerable students,” the complaint stated.
A police investigation reportedly revealed that Bacon met the minor for sexual relations on four different occasions at a motel in Vadnais Heights between May 8 and July 4.
Bacon allegedly told investigators that she rented the motel room a “handful” of times to have sex with the student because she was living with her parents at the time. She reportedly got her own apartment in St. Paul in July, and the victim visited her that month and they engaged in sexual activity.
A second witness told investigators that she was in a relationship with the victim, but it ended in January 2024 after discovering he was still in contact with Bacon.
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported, “The ex-girlfriend said she found sexually explicit messages and nude photos of Bacon on the victim’s phone. Some of the images, including videos of Bacon drinking with the student and his friends were from May 2023.”
Bacon initially denied having sex with the student, according to the complaint.
The complaint said Bacon told police that the relationship with the student began in July 2023 but later confessed to having sex with the victim in May 2023 after investigators noted they had photographic evidence to the contrary.
The alleged victim informed investigators that the pair first had sex in July 2023 and denied having a sexual relationship with Bacon before his graduation, according to the complaint. He allegedly told police that he and the teacher were exclusively dating.
The alleged victim is an 18-year-old male.
“Although the student was technically an adult when the sexual encounters took place, people in positions of power, such as teachers, can still be fired and charged under state laws that govern the act of professional misconduct,” according to the Daily Mail.
Bacon resigned from her teaching position at Tartan High School on Thursday.
Tartan High School principal, Bethany DeCent, sent a letter to parents that read:
I am writing to inform you of the recent resignation of a Tartan teacher, Ann Bacon. We have been informed by local law enforcement that Ann Bacon is being investigated for alleged misconduct. Please be assured that the trust and safety of our students remain our utmost priority. We are cooperating fully with law enforcement’s investigation and will continue to do so throughout the process. We understand that this news affects our school community. School counselors and administrators are available for any students needing support.
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