By Crime Watch MN
MINNEAPOLIS – Abdul Jameel Wright was named Minnesota Teacher of the Year in 2016. That same year, he allegedly began a sexual relationship with a then 14-year-old student that lasted nearly a year; Wright was 30 at the time.
According to a summons filed in Hennepin County District Court late last week, Wright, who is also known as “AB,” has been charged with one felony count of first-degree criminal sexual conduct involving a minor age 13 to 15 while in a position of authority.
The allegations against Wright, now 38, surfaced earlier this spring in a public social media post by a woman who accused Wright of “taking a little girls (sic) innocence.”
Following the spread of the social media post, St. Louis Park High School sent an internal email to staff stating that a teacher had been placed on leave following allegations of “serious misconduct,” and that an investigation was underway. Wright was not named by the school in the email, but was employed as a language arts teacher, according to the school’s online staff directory at the time and his LinkedIn bio.
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UPDATE: Here’s the social media post referenced in the St. Louis Park HS email which appears to implicate Minnesota 2016 Teacher of the Year Abdul Wright in alleged sexual allegations involving a minor. pic.twitter.com/72W7pkwTBA— CrimeWatchMpls (@CrimeWatchMpls) May 17, 2024
The charging document states that a parent came forward to police in May of this year and alleged that in 2017, her then 14-year-old daughter was sexually assaulted by Wright. The child victim, who is now an adult, also gave a statement to police and to a forensic interviewer saying that Wright had been her 8th-grade teacher at Harvest Best Academy, which is located in north Minneapolis.
The victim described Wright’s behavior as “grooming,” and stated that he began singling her out and giving her special treatment. She described eating lunch with Wright in his classroom, and that Wright would play music for her and would tell her how it reminded him of her. The victim said that Wright started calling her every day and that Wright also developed a close relationship with the victim’s mother so that he would be trusted to take the victim places and that she would be allowed to stay after school to babysit Wright’s children.
Charges state that Wright’s behavior toward the child at the time included conversations of a sexual nature and led to various levels of sexual contact and eventually repeated sexual intercourse. The victim stated that the sexual contact lasted for almost a year and took place at the school, in Wright’s vehicle, at a home where Wright was staying, and on one occasion, at the victim’s mother’s apartment.
Alpha News reached out to Harvest Best Academy back in May but did not receive an answer to questions about whether the school had been aware of any misconduct allegations against Wright before or after his employment.
Note: Wright has been charged by summons requiring him to appear in court on Sept. 18; therefore, there is no booking photo available yet.
Minnesota Crime Watch & Information publishes news, info and commentary about crime, public safety and livability issues in Minneapolis, the Twin Cities and Greater Minnesota.
This article appeared at Alpha News and was reprinted with permission.
