A Brainerd High School teacher lost her sense of security, and the school district paid out $50,000 in a settlement after an attack on school grounds in February.
At roughly 6:40 a.m. Feb. 11, registered sex offender Jared Allen-Tristen McCormack, age 20 at the time, attacked BHS teacher Dana Kaiser in a high school locker room.
McCormack waited inside the girls’ locker room for nearly an hour before the attack, during which he grabbed Kaiser around the neck and face. She was able to break free and call the police.
McCormack entered into a plea agreement in May, pleading guilty to first-degree burglary-assault. Judge Patricia Aanes dismissed three other charges — attempted kidnapping, attempted fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct through use of force and fifth-degree assault occurring within three years of a previous conviction — under the plea agreement.
On Aug. 14, McCormack was sentenced to 68 months — five years and eight months — in prison. He will serve two-thirds of his sentence in a Minnesota Department of Corrections facility and then be on supervised probation for the remaining one-third of his sentence.
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During the sentencing, Kaiser said in her victim impact statement she feared for her life during the attack, as images of her husband and children flashed through her mind, driving her to fight. She said she thought she was going to die and, though the physical damage was not severe, she faces emotional challenges every day through nightmares and lingering anxiety.
Later in August, the Brainerd School District agreed to a $50,000 settlement with Kaiser and her husband Greg over damages incurred during the attack.
Superintendent Laine Larson said at the time she was heartbroken by the incident and thankful to come to a resolution.
The agreement authorized by the school board directed the school’s insurer to make a one-time payment of $50,000 within 20 days of the agreement’s execution. Of that sum, $33,750 was to go to the Kaisers and the other $16,250 to their legal counsel.
In the weeks after the attack, BHS Principal Andrea Rusk announced security changes to the school’s buildings. All exterior doors on both the north and south campuses are now locked until 7 a.m. Six entrances will then be open for a time before doors are locked once more when classes start at 8:20 a.m.
Visitors to the school during the day are now required to request access through a push-button monitor box at exterior doors. They will then have to identify themselves to staff through a video system before being buzzed into the building and checking in at the main office.
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THERESA BOURKE may be reached at theresa.bourke@brainerddispatch.com or 218-855-5860. Follow her on Twitter at www.twitter.com/DispatchTheresa .
