A former Burke County charter school teacher who has also been relieved of his as a “children’s director” for a Morganton-area church was arrested on sexual exploitation charges.

AARON DOYLE MIRTSCHING

Aaron Doyle Mirtsching, age 41, was arrested on Aug. 22 on three counts of third-degree sexual exploitation of a minor. The charges stem from possessing images depicting sexual abuse of children between the ages of 8 and 10, per warrant documentation.

A secured bond of $20,000 was issued to Mirtsching and he made a court appearance on Aug. 24. Mirtsching bonded out less than an hour after his arrest.

The Aug. 22 arrest was the result of a cyber-tip received by the Burke County Sheriff’s Office from the Internet Crimes Against Children, per a statement posted on the official Facebook page for the sheriff’s office.

Mirtsching was re-arrested on Aug. 24 after investigators received more information related to a 16-year-old individual and he was charged with 10 counts of indecent liberties with a child.

A $50,000 secured bond was issued to Mirtsching after his second arrest during an Ug. 25 court appearance. Records show he has not posted that bond and remains in the Burke County Jail.

Another round of charges was added to Mirtsching’s total on Aug. 30. by the Burke County Sheriff’s Office. The new charges include two new counts of indecent liberties with a minor. One of the counts includes “children fondling” in the description.

Mirtsching now has a total of $200,000 in secured bonds.

As of Nov. 30, 2023, the Burke County Sheriff’s Office has charged Mirtsching with an additional 15 counts of indecent liberties with a child and statutory sex offense with a child by an adult.

The bond for Mirtsching has been increased to $325,000 and he remains incarcerated.

Charge count as of Nov. 30, 2023:

• 1 count taking indecent liberties with children/fondling
• 1 count statutory sex offense with a child by an adult
• 3 counts third degree sexual exploition of a minor
• 27 counts indecent liberties with a child

Mirtsching has since deleted his LinkedIn account, however, the profile said he had taught kindergarten at New Dimensions Charter School in Morganton.

New Dimensions Charter School has indicated that Mirtsching is a former employee who resigned near the end of the 2022-23 school year. The school also said they are cooperating with authorities and are unaware of any crimes committed while he was employed with them.

Records on file with the state show Mirtsching has an active North Carolina teaching license in the area of Elementary Education (K-6). The license was issued in July 2020 and, unless revoked, will expire on June 30, 2025.

Mirtsching was also an employee of Thrive Church, also located in Morganton. At the church, he was serving as a “children’s director.”

After Mirtching’s initial arrest Thrive Church issued a statement on Facebook:

Tonight at 6:39pm, our Senior Pastor received a notification that a current staff member, Aaron Mirtsching, was arrested this evening by local authorities.
Aaron was immediately relieved of his duties at Thrive Church – Morganton due to the charges that have been filed.
The senior pastor and senior leadership team were completely unaware of any prior on-going investigation before being notified tonight.
Thrive Church – Morganton is committed to the safety and well-being of all those who attend. The church has background checks on leaders, employees, and staff and we offer our full cooperation and support to authorities and law enforcement.

The church’s post also said, “Any further press releases from the church will be posted publicly to our Facebook page.”

Following the second arrest, Thrive Church wrote, “We are stunned, heartbroken, betrayed and took immediate action to terminate him days ago when the first charges were filed.”

“To date, the church or Senior Leadership Team has never had anyone report internally the first accusation or even an implied accusation of malfeasance concerning any behavior or issue from the former employee regarding any incident involving the church,” the post by the church reads. “Once again, we stand with the victims in this case and pray continuously for them. We are so thankful for law enforcement shining a light on evil and pray that justice is complete and strong.”

The statement also said in closing that, “The church has background checks on leaders, employees, and staff and we offer our full cooperation and support to authorities and law enforcement.”

Last year, Thrive Church also made a celebration post on its Facebook page for Mirtsching’s 40th birthday with the caption, “The best part of being over forty is we did most of our stupid stuff before the internet.”

The Burke County Sheriff’s Office said the investigation is still ongoing. Anyone with information or anyone who wishes to make an anonymous tip in this case can call Crime Stoppers at 437-3333.

Update: Teaching license summarily suspended as of the week ending Feb. 2 and was revoked following receipt of conviction documentation in September.

Update: Conviction.
Mirtsching was convicted after pleading guilty on Sept. 10, 2024, to one count of statutory sex offense with a child 13, 14, or 15 years old, three counts of statutory sex offense with a child by an adult, and five counts of taking indecent liberties with a child.

According to the Burke County Sheriffs Office, the sentence handed down was 380 months – 552 months (31.5 – 46 years).