Teacher pleads guilty to sending nude photos of herself to numerous boys at Northfield High School

A Northfield teacher admitted in court that she sent nude photos of herself to numerous high school boys, while the school’s resource officer investigating the case allegedly chose to cover up for her and began a romantic relationship with her.

Katie A. Hanson, 38, of Lonsdale, Minn., pleaded guilty Monday in Rice County District Court to a felony count of sending electronic messages with sexual content to a child in connection with the photos shared over several months early in 2024.

The plea agreement between the prosecution and the defense calls for Hanson to be sentenced under what is called a stay of imposition, meaning the conviction would be reduced to a misdemeanor once she successfully complied with the terms of her sentence and probation.

Those terms in the plea deal include 30 days of electronic home monitoring, 200 hours of community work service and being on probation for up to five years.

Former officer Gabriel D. Crombie, 33, of Faribault, Minn., is charged with one felony count of aiding an offender to avoid arrest and a gross misdemeanor count of failing to perform duties as a police officer. He’s due back in court on Oct. 14.

Hanson was a special education teacher at the middle school when she resigned in December, about the time district officials were alerted to the allegations. Crombie is no longer with the Northfield Police Department, and state records list his peace officer license as inactive.

According to the criminal complaints:

Crombie, as the school’s resource officer, knew of the photos when they were initially reported to him months earlier but made no record of the allegations. One boy told police that Hanson sent him over Snapchat about 10 photos of her nude.

Another boy said Hanson added him to Snapchat in March 2024, but he didn’t know who she was. After about a week and a half to two weeks of normal conversation, she sent him nude photos for about a week.

The boy decided to block Hanson “because he realized it was kind of weird for this to be happening,” the charges read. He then told Crombie about the images.

Other boys offered similar accounts to police.

In an interview with a state Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) agent and a police officer, Hanson acknowledged sending the photos along with sexual conversation.

She 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 and gave in,” the charges noted.

A law enforcement search of phones belonging to Hanson “did locate many photos and videos related to Crombie and Hanson,” the complaints read.

A search of Hanson’s Snapchat account turned up 12 images that involved males who appear to be under 18 years old.

Hanson said she stopped sending the photos once she started her relationship with Crombie and “told [him] ‘everything’” in April 2024, the charges quoted her as saying.

“Crombie told her that he was going to ‘do her a favor [and] let the case go,’” the charges read.