St Peter man accused of groping pupil

**This story has been corrected from an early version identifying Jacobs as a student teacher.  While he was identified as such in court documents, St. Peter school officials told SMN Jacobs was a student, not a student teacher.

A St. Peter man is accused of groping a girl during a school field day.

Henry Richard Jacobs, 18, of St. Peter, was charged Tuesday in Nicollet County Court with felony 2nd-degree criminal sexual conduct with a child under the age of 14.

A criminal complaint says Jacobs approached a 12-year-old student during a June field day and asked for her social media contacts.

The girl told investigators that Jacobs’s hand was near her buttocks so she moved over because she felt uncomfortable.  The victim then felt Jacobs’s entire hand on her buttocks, according to the complaint.

The complaint says Jacobs sent the girl several messages on social media after school the same day, asking her if she was comfortable with “this,” telling her he thought she was a sweet person, and directing her not to tell anyone.

Jacobs allegedly told police he made the mistake of trying to stay in touch with his students and admitted he had asked for the victim’s social media information.

Police say he initially denied touching the girl but later admitted to touching the victim in the area of her buttocks or leg multiple times.  He told police the girl didn’t appear upset by his actions.

The complaint says Jacobs admitted he found the victim attractive and knew it was inappropriate to touch her.  Court documents say he told police he did it in the “heat of the moment,” and that “emotion got the best of him.”