Ann Margaret Bacon rented rooms on May 8, June 4, June 11, and July 4, with each stay lasting a single night.
Ramsey County Sentencing
A former special-education teacher at Tartan High School who admitted to beginning a sexual relationship with an 18-year-old student weeks before his 2023 graduation has been sentenced to six months in jail.
Ann Margaret Bacon, 27, of Hastings, received the sentence in Ramsey County District Court after pleading guilty in September to third-degree criminal sexual conduct involving a prohibited occupational relationship.
Judge Thomas Gilligan Jr. followed a plea deal agreed upon by prosecutors and the defense, granting a downward departure from state sentencing guidelines to impose 180 days in jail followed by two years of supervised probation.
Bacon Serves Sentence on Electronic Home Monitoring
Bacon received credit for two days already served in custody and is permitted to serve the sentence on electronic home monitoring.
In allowing the departure, Gilligan cited Bacon’s amenability to probation and the terms recommended in the plea agreement.
Timeline at Tartan High School
According to school district records, Bacon joined the Oakdale school as a special-education teacher in August 2022, following a stint as a paraprofessional during the 2021-2022 academic year.
She resigned on Feb. 8, 2024, the exact day investigators conducted their initial interview with her.
Investigation and Witness Reports
The investigation began in February 2024 when Tartan administration and a school resource officer received a report concerning Bacon and the student.
A former special education teacher in Minnesota has been sentenced after admitting to a prohibited relationship with one of her 18-year-old students.According to the Pioneer Press, Ann Margaret Bacon, 27, of Hastings, was hired in August 2022. She later acknowledged the… pic.twitter.com/DzNZ180y3X
A witness told law enforcement that the teen had been acting secretively around Bacon, who reportedly purchased alcohol for him and other minors. Another witness pointed investigators toward sexually explicit messages and photos on the student’s phone, including images taken at a Vadnais Heights hotel in May 2023.
Hotel Records Contradict Bacon's Claims About Relationship Timeline
When initially questioned by police, Bacon claimed the sexual relationship did not begin until July 2023, after the student had graduated. She altered her statement when confronted with hotel photographs documenting the two together the previous May.
Hotel records obtained by investigators showed Bacon rented rooms on May 8, June 4, June 11, and July 4, with each stay lasting a single night.
During her police interview, Bacon acknowledged that the sexual relationship commenced while the student was one of her students, though she stated the encounters ceased in July 2023 and that they remained solely friends.
Investigators also noted a $40 Venmo transaction sent to Bacon on June 21 with the memo “liqq,” regarding which she stated she could not recall the sender or the purpose.
