A former teacher and youth leader in Burke County will spend at least 31 years in prison after he pleaded guilty Tuesday to child sex crimes.
Aaron Mirtsching, 42, pleaded guilty Tuesday morning to three counts of statutory sex offense with a child, one count of statutory sex offense with a 13-, 14- or 15-year-old and five counts of indecent liberties with a minor, according to an official with the Burke County Clerk of Court鈥檚 Office.
He was sentenced to spend at least 31 years, eight months in prison. He could spend up to 46 years in prison.
Mirtsching had been indicted on 15 counts of indecent liberties with a child, four counts of second-degree sexual exploitation of a minor and three counts of a statutory sex offense with a child by an adult, according to a previous News Herald article.
All of the victims were between 7 and 9 years old at the time of the crimes, according to the article. The crimes occurred from Sept. 1, 2020, to May 28, 2021.
Mirtsching previously worked as a teacher at New Dimensions Charter School and as a youth leader at Thrive Church. He stopped working for New Dimensions at the end of the 2022-23 school year and Thrive Church relieved him of his position when church leadership found out about the charges against him.