Bemidji teacher faces 7 felonies over child sex abuse material

BEMIDJI — A former Bemidji charter schoolteacher faces seven felony counts of disseminating child pornography after his Tuesday, Aug. 12, arrest.

The criminal complaint stated the investigation began in June after a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children alleging material depicting child sexual abuse was distributed online from a Bemidji IP address.

Detectives determined the IP address belonged to 30-year-old Austin Claseman of Bemidji, who fainted when officers arrived to execute a search warrant, according to the complaint.

Claseman was allegedly part of a “Teachers for Students” group chat that disseminated child sex abuse material.

While Voyageurs Expeditionary High School did not name Claseman in its Facebook announcement, the school’s director said the alleged conduct did not take place on school grounds or property and did not involve students or staff of the Voyageurs community.

The school reported the former teacher and board member resigned as of Wednesday. Claseman remained in custody as of Friday. Unconditional bail was set at $100,000 with a $1,000 cash bond.

The maximum sentence for the first two counts is 15 years in prison and/or a $20,000 fine, while the maximum sentence possible for the other five counts is 10 years and/or a $10,000 fine.

Claseman will make his next court appearance on Aug. 25.