Former SE MN Teacher Admits Sending Explicit Photos to Students

Northfield, MN (KROC-AM News) - A former southeast Minnesota middle school teacher has admitted to a felony charge involving sexually explicit photos she sent to students in the Northfield Public Schools.

Thirty-eight-year-old Katie Ann Hanson was charged earlier this year with two counts of electronic communication of sexually explicit materials to children.

According to the charges, the Lonsdale woman 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.

She also told investigators that she engaged in sexual conversations with at least one of the boys, who was in eighth grade at the time.

Teacher’s Snapchat Photos Lead to Felony Charge

The criminal complaint also indicates that 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.”

BCA Finds Wrongdoing by Former School Officer

The court document says a Northfield High School student reported the sexually explicit photos to former Northfield School Resource Officer Gabriel Crombie in March 2024.

A statement issued by the Steele County Attorney’s Office—which was asked to handle the case from Rice County to avoid any conflict of interest—stated that Crombie did not thoroughly investigate the matter.

The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension’s investigation into the former officer’s conduct also found evidence of wrongdoing.

The criminal complaint alleges that Crombie never made a report after students brought the allegations to him. An adult witness in the case also told investigators that Hanson was “seeing another guy, Crombie.”

Through a plea agreement, Hanson entered a guilty plea to one of the felony charges and is scheduled to be sentenced next February. The plea deal includes a requirement that she testify truthfully at any future companion trial.

Crombie was charged with a felony count of aiding an offender and a gross misdemeanor charge of misconduct by a public official. His case remains pending.

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