A recent Minnesota Aquatics Instructor of the Year has been accused of “grooming type behavior” toward a student’s 15-year-old sister.
Blake Le Saint, 36, who in 2023 was named Minnesota Aquatics Instructor of the Year, was accused in a criminal complaint of sending explicit text messages and a nude photo to the girl, according to CBS Minnesota.
Le Saint faces two felony counts of distributing via electronic communication material that relates or describes sexual conduct to a child.
The complaint said that Le Saint started texting the girl regularly roughly a year ago and that her parents contacted authorities in April. Le Saint is accused of sending thousands of messages between August 2025 and April 2026.
According to the complaint, Le Saint sent the girl a photo showing that his child was playing with a toy, but a naked reflection of Le Saint could be seen in the mirror within the photo.
Le Saint apologized and asked the girl to delete the photo.
Le Saint allegedly texted the girl about pornography and masturbation, but said it was autocorrect and that the texts were meant for other people.
“It appeared [Le Saint] was routinely the one sending messages, initiating contact each day in the morning, saying good night at the end of the day, telling [the girl] he loves her, offering [her] goods or services, attempting to get [her] to come be with him, mentioning or offering physical contact (often cuddling), and generally appeared to be grooming type behavior,” the complaint states.
The charges also said Le Saint introduced the girl to his cousin “Taylor,” which turned out to be a burner phone used by Le Saint to send more inappropriate messages.
According to CBS Minnesota, the girl’s sister had been taking lessons from Le Saint and his company since 2021 and that the girl had been a babysitter for Le Saint.
