St. Paul teacher sentenced to probation for having sex with student

Emily Baude KSTP

A former St. Paul teacher learned his future in Ramsey County Court on Wednesday after pleading guilty to having a sexual relationship with a student.

Pablo Alejandro Cortes, 50, of St. Paul, was sentenced to two years of probation.

He received a sentence of 360 days in the Ramsey County Correctional Facility, but 359 of those days were stayed for the duration of the two-year probation. This would leave him to serve one day in jail, but he has credit for one day served.

Cortes must also attend a sex offender program and be registered as a predatory offender for a minimum of 10 years, amongst other requirements.

Cortes pleaded guilty in May to one count of fifth-degree criminal sexual conduct in exchange for the dismissal of an initial fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct charge, a year of probation and registration as a predatory offender.

Court documents say Cortes — a science teacher at AGAPE High School — and an 18-year-old student began talking in May 2022, near the end of the school year. When the new school year began in the fall, Cortes taught one of her classes and their relationship became inappropriate in December.

The student reported that they started texting and exchanging Snapchat messages that were “joking around but a little flirty,” and then they agreed to meet after school one day early in December.

The criminal complaint states the two went to a parking ramp near Como Park, got into Cortes’ car and talked for some time, acknowledging that doing anything was wrong and would specifically put Cortes in danger of losing his job. However, they continued and, after Cortes exposed himself, the student performed oral sex on him, the complaint states.

According to the complaint, the student reported that she didn’t want to do anything more with Cortes but was scared after he exposed himself. She added that she felt numb driving home and “busted out crying,” adding that they agreed to never do it again.