Ex-St. Paul school janitor gets 10 years for child sexual abuse

A former St. Paul school custodian was sentenced Thursday to 10 years in prison for sexual abuse of minors dating back to the 1980s and invasion of privacy of elementary students reported last year.

Ramsey County District Judge Diane Alshouse also ordered Walter Johann Happel, 63, of Newport to register as a predatory offender.

Happel worked at St. Paul's Linwood Monroe Arts Plus School until he was put on administrative leave in February 2014. He pleaded guilty in March to surreptitious invasion of privacy when multiple elementary school students reported Happel had peeped at them through bathroom stall cracks, over the doors and at urinals, court documents said.

Happel's son contacted police after news broke about charges stemming from last year's incidents. His son told authorities that Happel had sexually abused him, other family members and a neighbor back in the 1980s when they were between the ages of 5 and 13 years old, according to the criminal complaint.

The abuse included fondling, penetration, taking naked Polaroid photos of the children, videotaping himself abusing them and forcing them to have sex with each other, the complaint said.

"Walter Happel preyed on the innocence of children for over 30 years, and I am relieved that he will be held accountable for his crimes," Ramsey County Attorney John Choi said. "The plea agreement spared all of his victims, especially the young children, the added stress and trauma of having to relive those experiences by testifying in court."