A Minnesota man facing sex crimes charges previously taught at schools on the Cheyenne River Sioux Reservation in South Dakota and in the Alaska Native community of Akhiok.

James Irvin Rigenhagen, 51, was charged on Thursday with two counts of second-degree criminal sexual conduct. He is accused of fondling two 8-year-old girls at a Wal-Mart in Maple Grove, Minnesota.

Rigenhagen is a teacher who worked at the Eagle Butte Elementary School on the Cheyenne River Sioux Reservation. He taught grades 6-8 in math, according to one state web site [Link].

He also taught grades K-12 at the school in Akhiok, where 98 percent of the population is Native.

Get the Story:
Former Eagle Butte teacher charged (AP 7/7)
Teacher charged with sexual conduct (KSP 7/6)
Groping suspect had MN teaching license (KSTP 7/5)