SE MN Teacher Sentenced for Sending Nude Photos to Students

Northfield, MN (KROC-AM News) - A former southeastern Minnesota middle school teacher was sentenced today for sending sexually explicit photos to students.

Thirty-eight-year-old Katie Ann Hanson of Lonsdale was charged last year with two counts of electronic communication of sexually explicit materials to children. According to the criminal complaint in the case, she admitted to investigators that she sent nude photos of herself over Snapchat to five boys who ranged in age from 11 to 17 years old. Hanson also told investigators that she engaged in sexual conversations with at least one of the boys, who was in eighth grade at the time.

(Photo by Carl Court/Getty Images)

Seeking Attention

The court document says Hanson, in her statement to investigators, explained that she and her husband "were going through a hard time and she did this because she got attention when she was feeling vulnerable."

According to the charges, a Northfield High School student reported the sexually explicit photos to former Northfield School Resource Officer Gabriel Crombie in March 2024. The Steele County Attorney's Office, which prosecuted the case at the request of Rice County to avoid any conflict of interest, stated that Crombie did not thoroughly investigate the report. The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension's investigation of the former officer's conduct also found evidence of wrongdoing.

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School Resource Officer Also Charged

The criminal complaint filed against Crombie alleges that he never filed a report after students brought the allegations to him. The court document says an adult witness also told investigators that Hanson was "seeing another guy, Crombie."

Last October, Hanson entered into a plea agreement and admitted to one of the felony charges. She was sentenced today to 60 days in jail or electronic home monitoring and up to five years on probation.

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The criminal case against Crombie, who is charged with a felony count of aiding an offender and a gross misdemeanor charge of misconduct by a public official, is still pending.

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