A special education teacher was sentenced to six months in jail after she booked a hotel room at least four times to have sex with a teenage student.
Ann Margaret Bacon, 27, pleaded guilty to third-degree criminal sexual conduct involving a prohibited occupational relationship before being sentenced on Monday.
Bacon initially denied having sex with the 18-year-old boy while he was a student, claiming their relationship began a month after he graduated from Tartan High School in Oakdale, Minnesota, according to the Pioneer Press.
However, she later confessed after a photo of herself and the student at a hotel surfaced, where she also allegedly supplied alcohol to other students who visited the room.
The former teacher booked a room at the same hotel at least four times, on May 8, June 4, June 11 and over the July Fourth holiday.
Although the student was legally an adult when the sexual encounters took place, teachers can still face criminal charges under state laws governing sexual relationships with students.
Bacon was initially investigated in 2024 after a school resource officer and the school's administration notified local police about her alleged sexual relationship with the student and alcohol purchases, the complaint said.
She told cops she rented a hotel room a 'handful' of times to have sex with him because she was living in her parents' basement.
Ann Margaret Bacon, 27, pleaded guilty to third-degree criminal sexual conduct involving a prohibited occupational relationship before being sentenced on Monday
Bacon was sentenced to 180 days followed by two years of supervised probation which she can serve on electronic home monitoring
A witness told authorities she learned about Bacon's sexual relationship with the student at the beginning of May, when the teen was still in her class, legal documents said.
The witness said she reported the relationship to the school in July but did not have any evidence at the time. She reported it again in February because she was concerned Bacon was still teaching, the complaint said.
When confronted with the accusations, Bacon initially denied the inappropriate relationship to the school district.
Another witness, the student's ex-girlfriend, told police he asked for a break in their relationship in May, around the time he began secretly spending time with Bacon.
The ex-girlfriend, identified as Witness B, said she and the student rekindled their relationship in August, when she discovered sexual messages and nude pictures exchanged between him and Bacon on his phone.
Pictures on the phone also showed Bacon drinking alcohol at the hotel with the student and his friends, court documents said.
The student later told police he and Bacon were dating and that he had stayed at her new apartment, the complaint revealed.
Bacon eventually admitted that their sexual encounters began while he was still her student and ended in July.
Bacon first denied the sexual encounters with her 18-year-old student but then later confessed
Bacon resigned from her position at Tartan High School, located in Oakdale
She told police they started seeing each other again in November but were no longer in a relationship at the time of her interview.
Bacon also denied purchasing alcohol for the teens but acknowledged receiving a $40 Venmo payment labeled 'liqq' in June, according to court documents.
She claimed she could not remember what the payment was for or who sent it.
Bacon was sentenced to 180 days followed by two years of supervised probation, which she can serve on electronic home monitoring, according to Pioneer Press.
