A 24-year-old former teacher in the US has been charged with ten felony counts for allegedly having a sexual relationship with an 11-year-old student. The case has received major limelight due to the shocking nature of the accusations. Madison Bergmann was accused of sending over 33, 000 explicit messages to the child and reportedly engaging in physical contact.
Madison Bergmann taught at River Crest Elementary School in Hudson, Wisconsin. During the preliminary hearing at St. Croix County Circuit Court, some of the messages were read to Bergmann as she bowed her head in shame, according to the New York Post. Prosecutors said that after the forensic analysis of Bergmann and the student’s cell phone, it was determined that they exchanged 33,000 texts.
According to Prosecutor Karl Anderson, there was a disturbing aspect of their interaction. In one of the texts, the teacher said she would wear dresses more often because she “liked how he touched her leg,” as reported by The Independent.
“In her notes [Bergmann] tells him that she loves him, wants to kiss him, he turns her on, and that she is obsessed with him,” he was further quoted as saying.
If reports are to be believed, screenshots of texts shown to investigators revealed Bergmann saying how much she enjoyed “making out” with him.
Defence attorney Joseph Tamburino challenged these allegations by stating that there was no suggestion of sexual activities when Bergmann discussed texts regarding “kissing and touching.”
“There is never any language where she says ‘I want to have sex with you’,” the New York Post quoted him saying.
Tamburino insisted that the messages were not “sexually explicit, and there were no clear signals of sexual interest.”
Nevertheless, Judge Nordstrand decided that there was enough probable cause for moving to trial, claiming that the information offered corresponded to the requirement of serious charges, the report added.
Bergmann was arrested in May 2024, three months before her wedding, after the victim’s mother listened to her son talking to her on the phone and later found an inappropriate exchange of messages. In the allegations, it is stated that Bergmann touched the boy physically several times in the classroom during lunchtime or after school.
During a search of Bergmann’s possession, the police were reportedly able to find a folder with notes written to the victim which contained remarks about their sexual conversation. Bergmann is presently facing several charges of sexual misconduct by school personnel in addition to first-degree child sexual assault and child enticement. If guilty as charged, she is likely to face a long term in prison. After the appearance of such claims, Bergmann stepped down from her teaching job in May 2024.
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