Arden Hills Teacher Charged With Sex Crimes Against 16-year-old

Nov 16

A 58-year-old teacher from Arden Hills is accused of engaging in a sexual relationship with a 16-year-old student this fall, court documents say.

A criminal complaint detailed months of escalating contact, explicit messages and repeated meetings on and off school grounds.

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Ted Matthew Bennett is charged with third-degree criminal sexual conduct and fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct for alleged contact involving a minor in a prohibited occupational relationship. He was released from custody on Thursday after posting $75,000 bail.

THE FOLLOWING CONTAINS DESCRIPTIONS OF CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE. DISCRETION IS ADVISED.

Police were called to Mounds View High School on Nov. 10 after staff learned of concerns about Bennett’s interactions with the student. When officers arrived, they were told Bennett and the student had been communicating through personal phones and email since the end of the 2024-2025 school year. The student said she had been struggling with personal issues and turned to Bennett because she felt he understood her. She initially denied any sexual activity, telling officers she didn’t want him to get in trouble, but eventually disclosed the extent of their relationship after investigators reviewed her phone.

Her father gave officers permission to conduct a forensic search of the phone. That search revealed graphic messages and extensive evidence of sexual contact. Records show Bennett sent graphic sexual messages and pornographic clips to the student while pressuring her to reenact what she viewed. In a Nov. 3 exchange, he described in explicit detail the acts he wanted to perform and called her degrading names while telling her she belonged to him. The student told investigators she felt exhausted by the demands and the pace of the conversations.

Investigators say phone evidence also showed that Bennett supplied the student with alcohol and narcotics. On Nov. 2 she texted him saying a friend suggested she consider Adderall due to stress. Bennett responded, “I have like 400 pills.. it’s so easy to get on it,” and offered to give her some. Four days later, he met her in the school parking lot and provided her with alcohol and Adderall. After that meeting he texted that he was “a little high, a little juiced up from add, as maybe a bit tipsy from Jungle Juice and still a bit high from car activities.” He gave her alcohol again on Nov. 8, and the two discussed using cocaine during their messages afterward.

During a follow-up interview on Nov. 11, the student told officers Bennett had been her English teacher through her 10th grade year and had commented frequently on her appearance, calling her “hot” and making remarks about her body. She said their conversations turned sexual over the summer and escalated into sexual activity in October.

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School administrators told investigators a student and her boyfriend reported concerns to staff on Nov. 7, saying the victim had been “seeing” Bennett and was often alone with him in his classroom. They said they reviewed surveillance footage showing Bennett and the student walking together in hallways and entering a storage closet. Administrators also located email conversations between the two using school accounts before Bennett switched to his personal email while continuing to message the student at her school address. They said Bennett had worked at the school for 27 years.

Phone evidence shows that on Nov. 10, after being placed on administrative leave, Bennett told the student, “I was fired, lie to them and delete everything.” Surveillance video captured the student crying on the phone and dropping to her knees during that call.

The next day investigators went to Bennett’s home in Minneapolis to execute a search warrant. They found him sitting in his vehicle with an overnight bag at around noon and arrested him. Officers seized several electronic devices and handwritten notes from the student. Bennett declined to speak with investigators.

“The investigation laid out in the complaint uncovered deeply disturbing facts — a parent’s worst nightmare,” said Ramsey County Attorney John Choi. “A teacher using drugs, alcohol, and authority to exploit a vulnerable student is abhorrent.”

The complaint notes that investigators believe there may be additional victims and have urged anyone with information to come forward. Authorities say the tipline for students, staff and parents is 651-266-7331.

Bennett is expected to make his next court appearance in January.

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