A former Twin Cities basketball coach and teacher was sentenced to life in prison Tuesday for sexually assaulting a dozen children.
Aaron Hjermstad, 46, pleaded guilty to 12 counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct in September. As part of a plea deal, he agreed to serve a life sentence in prison with the possibility of parole after 30 years.
“I was a victim and I didn’t even know or understand what I was a victim of,” one of Hjermstad’s victims wrote in an impact statement that was read aloud in court by an advocate. None of the victims in the case was present at the hearing.
During his sentencing hearing, Hjermstad, wearing an orange jumpsuit and black glasses, read from a written statement and apologized to the children he harmed.
“I can’t explain how sorry I am and only wish there was something I could do to make things right,” he said.
Hjermstad taught at Excell Academy and Harvest Best Academy, charter schools in Brooklyn Park and north Minneapolis, respectively, with a student population that is primarily Black students. He was also a volunteer coach at Hospitality House Youth Development, a faith-based nonprofit in north Minneapolis.
An Excell Academy student first reported Hjermstad in 2015, alleging that his basketball coach had sexually abused him. No criminal charges were filed at the time, and Hjermstad left the school after his contract for the next school year was not renewed.
That student, Jazz, told Sahan Journal that he felt “played” after he reported the abuse and Hjermstad wasn’t charged.
“I took the time out of my day to go tell something that was bad, but for a good cause, which was to get it to stop. But they didn’t do anything about it,” he said.
After he left Excell Academy, Hjermstad began working at the Mastery School in 2016, which is now consolidated under Harvest Best Academy. Hospitality House also reinstated Hjermstad as a coach, after leadership at the nonprofit supported him despite the 2015 allegations.
In 2020, a different student came forward and reported Hjermstad for abuse. That case and the case from 2015 were both charged. Two more boys came forward shortly after.
Hjermstad is already serving a 12-year prison sentence for abusing four different boys after he was convicted in 2021. The additional 12 charges stem from thousands of videos authorities found in Hjermstad’s car after he fled the state in 2021 before his sentencing. Authorities say there could be more than 120 victims in the videos.
The abuse in the 12 charges took place between 2013 and 2021.
‘Too young to understand’
The victim whose impact statement was read aloud in court Tuesday wrote that he was a young boy when Hjermstad assaulted him while he slept over at his home.
“I was too young to understand,” he wrote.
He said he told others about what happened to him but “no one believed me.”
The victim wrote that Hjermstad is a “sick individual,” who was in a position of power as a teacher and coach, and knew that his actions were wrong. Years after the abuse, the victim wrote that he is scared to be around men, and fears that others want to harm him.
“Aaron stole a part of my life that I can never get back,” the victim wrote.
Hjermstad said in his statement that he “tried to manipulate everyone” to carry out the abuse, and that his actions were “so depraved.”
Assistant Hennepin County Attorney Dan Allard said during the hearing that this is one of the most “horrific” cases he has seen.
“The number of boys can’t even be captured in the charges we have,” he said. “But we do believe this captures the severity of what he did.”
Allard said investigators were unable to identify all of the victims in the videos.
At the conclusion of the hearing, Hjermstad thanked his public defender before being led away by sheriff’s deputies.
What led to more criminal charges?
Hjermstad, who was out on bail, fled the state months ahead of his sentencing. He was pulled over on Nov. 30, 2021, by police in Idaho.
Idaho State Police Cpl. Jared Shively testified at a hearing in Hennepin County District Court earlier this year, and said he stopped Hjermstad after he failed to properly signal a lane change as he exited the interstate.
Shively testified that he smelled marijuana when he approached Hjermstad’s vehicle. After speaking with Hjermstad, he learned that Hjermstad’s car was on loan from a dealership, and that he was not supposed to be outside of Minnesota due to his criminal case. Shively testified that Hjermstad said he was driving back from a Minnesota Vikings game in California.
Shively told the court he searched Hjermstad’s car, and found a piece of paper with a list of about 200 children’s names. Shively said some of the names had asterisks next to them, and that the paper had the phrase, “slept in Aaron’s bed,” written on it to indicate the meaning behind the asterisks.
He also found 27 digital memory cards, multiple laptops and court papers.
According to the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) analyzed evidence from the Idaho traffic stop, and found thousands of videos of Hjermstad allegedly assaulting children, some at his Brooklyn Center home. That evidence includes the 12 victims in Hjermstad’s current case.
In September 2024, the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office announced the additional charges against Hjermstad.
