Paul N. Sadergaski is a 28-year-old Wisconsin music teacher who was arrested and charged after authorities investigated allegations that he engaged in inappropriate communications with a Bangor student.
Sadergaski, the vocal music teacher at Bangor Middle School and Bangor High School, now faces four criminal counts: one count of grooming a child for sexual activity from a position of trust and three counts of possession of child pornography. A newly released criminal complaint also provides additional details about his alleged communications with a student and evidence police say they discovered while executing a search warrant.
The Bangor School District has placed Sadergaski on administrative leave. The allegations against him have not been proven in court.
What Is Paul Sadergaski Charged With?
According to Wisconsin court records and the criminal complaint, Sadergaski faces four charges:
- One count of grooming a child for sexual activity while in a position of trust
- Three counts of possession of child pornography
Authorities said the alleged offenses occurred between June 15 and August 22, 2026.
The grooming charge specifically includes the position-of-trust enhancement applicable when the accused has authority or control over matters such as a child’s education or welfare.
What Is Paul Sadergaski Accused Of Doing?
The criminal complaint describes a student identified publicly only as “Victim 1” who had worked as a helper during summer school with Sadergaski.
According to the complaint, the student said that during the final month or so of the previous school year, she, a friend, Sadergaski and Sadergaski’s wife began playing pickleball together.
The student said Sadergaski asked for her phone number during that period.
She reportedly believed that Sadergaski would use the number to communicate with her about school-related subjects such as summer school and musical camp. According to the complaint, the messages initially involved those topics but eventually shifted away from school-related matters.
The student told investigators that there was never physical contact between her and Sadergaski.
The Student Was Working With Sadergaski During Summer School
The criminal complaint says the student had served as a summer-school helper working with Sadergaski.
According to WEAU, school employees had received instruction concerning appropriate boundaries with students before the events described in the complaint.
The alleged conduct underlying the case occurred between June 15 and August 22, 2026, according to court records.
What Did Police Allegedly Find During The Search?
The criminal complaint provides substantially more information about evidence allegedly found during the investigation than was available when Sadergaski was first arrested.
After investigators obtained a search warrant, the Bangor Police Department chief allegedly observed multiple videos containing child sexual abuse material.
Investigators also reported finding numerous photographs that appeared to have been taken of students by Sadergaski.
According to WEAU’s account of the criminal complaint, almost all of the students depicted in those photographs were either current Bangor Middle School students or had been middle school students there.
Were Images Of Bangor Students Found?
Yes. The criminal complaint reportedly describes numerous images that investigators believed Sadergaski had taken of students.
WEAU reported that many of the people depicted were current Bangor middle school students. A Nexstar report about the complaint said investigators found images involving several girls and that some of the students were confirmed to be current students, with images reportedly taken inside Sadergaski’s Bangor Middle School classroom.
Public reporting does not establish that every photograph of a Bangor student found during the investigation constituted child sexual abuse material or formed the basis of one of the possession charges. The complaint separately describes videos containing child sexual abuse material and photographs involving students.
Sadergaski Faces Three Child Pornography Counts
Initial reports about Sadergaski’s arrest referred generally to a potential possession of child pornography charge.
The criminal complaint subsequently clarified that prosecutors filed three separate counts of possession of child pornography against him.
Wisconsin law allows individual recordings or images to support separate possession charges in appropriate cases, meaning possession of multiple items can result in multiple criminal counts.
The publicly available reporting does not identify the specific image or video associated with each of Sadergaski’s three counts.
[WEAU] [Wisconsin Statute 948.12]
Why Did Initial Reports Say The Pornography Case Was Unrelated To The School?
The La Crosse County Sheriff’s Office, Village of Bangor Police Department and Bangor School District initially issued a joint statement saying that investigators had discovered content that was unrelated to Sadergaski’s position in the district and unrelated to the original student-communication investigation.
That evidence resulted in investigators recommending a possession of child pornography charge.
The subsequently filed criminal complaint provided additional information that was not included in the original announcement, including allegations that police also found numerous photographs appearing to have been taken of Bangor students.
The reports do not establish that all of those student photographs were themselves child pornography. The distinction between the child sexual abuse material cited in the possession charges and other student images recovered during the search is therefore important.
[WEAU] [WEAU Criminal Complaint Report]
When Was Paul Sadergaski Arrested?
Sadergaski was arrested on September 16, 2026, following an investigation involving the La Crosse County Sheriff’s Office, Village of Bangor Police Department and Bangor School District.
Local reporting said Sadergaski turned himself in to authorities.
He was initially jailed in La Crosse County before making his first court appearance.
Sadergaski Was Released On $10,000 Cash Bond
Sadergaski appeared before La Crosse County Judge Mark Huesmann on September 17.
The judge set a $10,000 cash bond. County records subsequently showed that Sadergaski posted the bond and was released from jail.
The Judge Ordered Sadergaski To Stay Away From Children And Bangor Schools
As a condition of his release, Judge Huesmann ordered Sadergaski to have no contact with Bangor schools or school events.
Sadergaski was also prohibited from having contact with anyone under 18, with an exception for his own child.
What Is Grooming A Child For Sexual Activity In Wisconsin?
Wisconsin’s grooming law, Statute 948.072, prohibits engaging in a course of conduct, pattern of behavior or series of acts intended to condition, seduce, solicit, lure or entice a child for sexual contact or intercourse or for the production, distribution or possession of sexually explicit depictions of the child.
The statute says conduct considered in a grooming case can include sexual conversations, electronic communications, gifts or favors, inappropriate physical contact, attempts to isolate a child and other behavior intended to reduce a child’s inhibitions.
The Wisconsin Department of Justice lists the grooming statute as having taken effect on March 6, 2026.
[Wisconsin Statute 948.072] [Wisconsin Department Of Justice]
Why Is Sadergaski Charged With Grooming From A Position Of Trust?
Wisconsin’s grooming statute defines a “position of trust or authority over the child” as a relationship in which an adult has regular and direct contact with a child and has power or control over matters including the child’s education or welfare.
The criminal complaint charges Sadergaski under the position-of-trust provision based on his alleged conduct while serving as a teacher.
A grooming violation involving a person in a position of trust or authority can be classified as a Class F felony.
[Wisconsin Statute 948.072] [WEAU]
What Is The Penalty For A Class F Felony In Wisconsin?
A Class F felony in Wisconsin carries a maximum possible penalty of 12 years and six months of imprisonment, a fine of up to $25,000, or both.
Those are statutory maximums rather than a prediction of the sentence Sadergaski would receive if convicted.
What Does Wisconsin’s Child Pornography Law Prohibit?
Wisconsin Statute 948.12 prohibits knowingly possessing or accessing with intent to view photographs, videos or other recordings depicting a child engaged in sexually explicit conduct when the defendant knows or reasonably should know that the person depicted is younger than 18.
An adult convicted under the statute is guilty of a Class D felony.
What Is The Penalty For Possession Of Child Pornography In Wisconsin?
A Class D felony in Wisconsin carries a maximum possible sentence of 25 years of imprisonment, a fine of up to $100,000, or both.
Sadergaski faces three separate possession counts, but maximum statutory penalties should not simply be added together to predict an eventual sentence. Sentencing would depend on any convictions, the evidence, applicable mandatory-minimum provisions and decisions made by the court.
[Wisconsin Statute 948.12] [Wisconsin Statute 939.50]
Bangor School District Placed Sadergaski On Administrative Leave
The Bangor School District placed Sadergaski on administrative leave while authorities investigated the allegations.
The district said it could not release additional information because the case involved a personnel matter.
School officials said they were cooperating with Bangor police and the La Crosse County Sheriff’s Office.
The District Created A Substitute Plan For Choir Students
The Bangor School District said it developed a short-term substitute teaching plan to keep its choir program operating while Sadergaski remained on leave.
The district said student safety and well-being were its primary concern and encouraged students to report interactions with adults that made them uncomfortable to a trusted adult, administrator or law-enforcement officer.
Officials also asked the public to protect the privacy of students involved in the investigation.
Who Is Paul Sadergaski?
Paul N. Sadergaski is a 28-year-old music educator employed by the Bangor School District in Wisconsin.
The district’s staff directory identifies him as the vocal music teacher for Bangor Middle School and Bangor High School.
Sadergaski Previously Taught Elementary Music
Before teaching vocal music at the middle and high school levels, Sadergaski worked as an elementary music teacher in the Bangor district.
School board records show that he transferred into the middle and high school vocal music position effective January 20, 2025.
Sadergaski Was A College Swimmer
Before becoming an educator, Sadergaski attended the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay and competed on the school’s swimming and diving team.
University athletics records identify him as a freestyle and butterfly swimmer from Faribault, Minnesota.
He competed for Green Bay during the 2017-18 and 2018-19 seasons.
One of the first political bloggers in the world, Oliver Willis has operated OliverWillis.com since 2000. Contributor at Media Matters for America and The American Independent. Follow on Twitter at @owillis. Full bio.