A Minnesota special education teacher admitted to police that she began a sexual relationship with an 18-year-old student about a month before he graduated last year, according to a criminal complaint.
Ann Margaret Bacon, 24, of Hastings, was charged by warrant Monday, Feb. 12 in Ramsey County District Court with one count of felony third-degree criminal sexual conduct alleging a prohibited occupational relationship, as reported by KSTP. Bacon resigned from her job at Tartan High School in Oakdale, Minnesota, on Thursday - the same day police interviewed her.
Bacon Admitted to the Sexual Assault After Being Confronted with Photos of the Pair at Hotel
Bacon initially told police she had sex with the student in July after he graduated, but changed her story after being confronted with photos of the two of them taken May 8 at a Vadnais Heights hotel, the complaint says.
Tartan administration and a school resource police officer received a report Feb. 6 that Bacon had sex with her 18-year-old male student, identified in the criminal complaint as Victim 1. She also purchased alcohol for minors, the reporting party said.
Police spoke with Witness A, who said that she and her friend reported the alleged misconduct to the school in July "because they did not feel the situation was appropriate," the complaint says. She said a school administrator reached out to her friend and asked for evidence supporting the allegations. She said they did not follow up with administrators at that time because they did not have evidence.
Victim Told Investigators He Had Sex with Bacon in Her Car but Denied it was Before His Graduation
The victim's ex-girlfriend, identified as Witness B in court documents, told law enforcement that the victim had asked for a break in their relationship the day before graduation in May.
Witness B said she didn't know the extent of the victim's relationship with Bacon at that time but noted that the victim had been acting secretively and hanging out with Bacon, according to the complaint. The witness also said Bacon had bought alcohol for juveniles and "smoked weed" with minors.
Witness B told police about sexually explicit messages and photos of Bacon and Victim 1 on Victim 1's phone. They included nude pictures of them from May 8 in a hotel room. Witness B also reported seeing a May 2023 video on Victim 1's phone showing Bacon and him and several of his friends all drinking alcohol in a hotel room.
Police spoke to Victim 1 on Thursday. He acknowledged being in Bacon's class during his senior year. He said the first time they had sex was in July 2023 in her car near his house. He denied having sex with her before his graduation. He said they are currently dating exclusively, and that he stays at her apartment.
Hotel Records Showed Bacon Rented Rooms on 4 Separate Occasions
Police obtained records from the hotel, which showed Bacon rented rooms there on May, 8, June 4, June 11 and July 4. All stays were for one night. Bacon added she rented a room at the hotel a "handful" of times for the purpose of having sex with the victim because she was living with her parents until she got an apartment in July.
Bacon admitted that the victim was one of her students when the sexual relationship started. The complaint states she told law enforcement that the sexual relationship ended in July, and the pair rekindled in November. She added that the two are currently just friends and not in a relationship.
She acknowledged receiving a $40 Venmo payment for "liqq" on June 21, but "claimed she didn't remember who it was from or what it was for," the complaint says.
