Accused of sex with 15-year-old student, show choir director out on bond

The show choir director accused of a sexual relationship with a 15-year-old Logan High School student is out of jail, awaiting his next hearing. 

According to county records, Dustin Bagstad posted the $2,500 bond and was released from the jail over the weekend.

The 33-year-old Bagstad allegedly had sex 11 times with a student who was 15 when the relationship began. He faces 15 charges for those allegations. Bagstad was the girl’s singing coach and her director in show choir.

Bagstad, a part-time employee, was placed on leave by the La Crosse School District.

Bagstad could get more than 400 years in prison if he’s convicted on all counts. His next hearing is Wednesday.

The La Crosse district attorney’s office wanted bond set at $10,000.

“You’re looking at 425 years currently,” Judge Todd Bjerke told Bagstad in court. “That’s a long time. It would be a great incentive to flee to avoid that.”

Despite that, Bjerke said Bagstad was rated as a suspect with a low risk to flee. He is now under house arrest and cannot have access to any computers.

According to the complaint, the girl told authorities she started talking to Bagstad on Snapchat, exchanging semi-nude and nude photos. They first had sex at Bagstad’s home on Mormon Coulee Rd., Nov. 8, 2016. The relationship continued through July 17.

“The victim did provide very detailed information,” prosecutor Jessica Skemp said in court. “There’s also physical evidence in the form of messages and photographs.”

According to the report the girl said she felt trapped and feared he would remove her from show choir if she stopped the encounter.

At his apartment, police found a framed picture of the girl. They also found love letters from students. Bagstad later admitted to having intimate conversations with another student, according to the complaint.