Felony sex assault charges dropped against former Twin Cities teacher Matthew Bertsch in plea deal
MINNEAPOLIS – A former Twin Cities teacher accused of sexually assaulting two young relatives struck a plea deal with prosecutors, and will no longer face multiple felony charges.
The Hennepin County Attorney's Office says 29-year-old Matthew Bertsch pleaded guilty Monday to one gross misdemeanor count of interfering with privacy in a home. The judge also ordered Bertsch to undergo a psychosexual evaluation.
Bertsch had also been charged with two counts of second-degree criminal sexual conduct, and a count of using minors in pornographic work. The details of his plea deal have not been released.
According to the criminal complaint, Bertsch was accused of assaulting two members of his extended family more than 100 times, starting when they were 10 and 11 years old, respectively. Both relatives are now in their early 20s.
Bertsch was arrested last August at an elementary school in Crystal. He had also taught before in a Richfield public school. Last fall, police said there was no evidence that Bertsch had assaulted any of his students.
He is set to be sentenced on Aug. 15.
