NEW ULM — A 33-year-old former Cathedral High School music instructor accused of smoking marijuana with some of his students from November 2022 to last January, made a plea agreement for a stay of imposition in Brown County District Court Dec. 28.

Brady P. Waibel pleaded guilty to one count of gross misdemeanor contributing to delinquency of a child. A felony fifth-degree drug possession-not small amount marijuana charge and two gross misdemeanor counts of contributing to delinquency of a child were dismissed.

Waibel was fined $700, sentenced for to up to two years probation, monitored by Brown County Probation and ordered to perform sentence to service for 24 hours within nine months. Successful probation completion will result in a misdemeanor conviction.

According to court documents, New Ulm Police Investigator Jeff Hohensee got a phone call on Jan. 14, 2023 from a New Ulm Diocese supervising priest who reported an incident involving Waibel. The priest said he got a phone call from a school administrator who said three students smoked marijuana with Waibel.

Investigator Hohensee set up interviews with the student’s parents at the New Ulm Police Dept. A 17-year-old juvenile said he and Waibel struck up a friendship. In November 2022, two of the juveniles and an adult student picked up Waibel and drove them to the TH 15 Minnesota River bridge, parked underneath it and walked to a sandbar where Waibel produced marijuana, smoked from it, and passed it to each student. All three students smoked the marijuana.

Also according to the court documents, a juvenile said between November 2022 and January 2023, the three students went to Waibel’s residence and smoked marijuana. He said Waibel assembled a multi-colored water bong, loaded it with marijuana and passed it around.

The juvenile said none of the students paid for the marijuana. Another juvenile said they smoked or hit the bong 10 to 20 times.

After police executed a search warrant, a Brown Lyon Redwood Renville Drug Task force agent photographed and collected evidence that was logged in. Recovered items included raw marijuana, marijuana wax, a marijuana grinder and a multi-colored bong.

The marijuana wax tested positive for THC. It weighed about 3/4 of a gram.

Waibel was arrested without incident. He later posted bail and was released from custody.