Ann Margaret Bacon, 27, pleaded guilty to third-degree criminal sexual conduct involving a prohibited occupational relationship. She was sentenced on Monday to 180 days in jail, with the option to serve the time on electronic home monitoring, followed by two years of supervised probation.

Bacon initially denied having sexual encounters with the student, claiming their relationship began after his graduation from Tartan High School in Oakdale, Minnesota. However, she later confessed after a photograph surfaced showing her and the student at a hotel. Authorities also alleged that Bacon supplied alcohol to other students who visited the hotel room.

According to court documents, Bacon booked hotel rooms at least four times: on May 8, June 4, June 11, and during the July Fourth holiday. Although the student was legally an adult at the time of the encounters, state laws prohibit sexual relationships between educators and students.

An investigation began in 2024 after a school resource officer and school administration alerted local police. A witness told authorities she learned about the relationship in May, while the student was still in Bacon's class. This witness reported the relationship to the school in July but reiterated concerns in February due to Bacon's continued teaching.

Another witness, the student's ex-girlfriend, told police that the student asked for a break in their relationship in May, coinciding with the beginning of his secret relationship with Bacon. In August, upon rekindling their relationship, she discovered explicit messages and nude pictures exchanged between the student and Bacon on his phone. These images also depicted Bacon drinking alcohol with the student and his friends at the hotel.

Bacon eventually admitted that the sexual encounters began while the student was still attending her class and concluded in July. She also claimed they resumed contact in November, though they were not in a relationship at the time of her interview. Bacon denied purchasing alcohol for the students but acknowledged receiving a $40 Venmo payment labeled 'liqq' in June, though she could not recall its purpose or sender.

Bacon resigned from her position at Tartan High School following the investigation. The Pioneer Press reported on the case and sentence.