A Wisconsin teacher accused of sexual misconduct with an 11-year-old male student traded more than 33,000 “explicit” text messages with the victim, according to a KARE-TV video report.
As Blaze News previously reported, Madison Bergmann — a 24-year-old former teacher at River Crest Elementary in Hudson — was accused last spring of engaging in an inappropriate relationship with a 5th-grade student.
The accusations against the teacher reportedly came just three months before her wedding.
The alleged illicit relationship came to light when the boy’s parents saw eyebrow-raising text messages from Bergmann to their son. Texts reportedly mentioned the teacher and student “kissing, touching, and making out.”
The boy’s father went to the school with printouts of the conversations to notify school administrators, who then involved law enforcement.
Police launched an investigation and reportedly discovered a folder with the alleged victim’s name on it. The folder contained handwritten notes detailing how the boy and the teacher kissed and fondled each other, according to the criminal complaint.
When questioned by investigators, Bergmann reportedly told police that the student’s mother gave her the 11-year-old’s phone number when she accompanied them on a ski trip over winter break.
The accusations against the teacher reportedly came just three months before her wedding.
Bergmann was arrested and initially charged with one count of first-degree child sexual assault.
However, Bergmann was hit with nine additional felonies in August: one count of using a computer to facilitate a child sex crime, one count of exposing a child to harmful materials, two counts of child enticement causing mental or bodily harm, and five counts of sexual misconduct by school staff.
The preliminary hearing of the case began Monday at St. Croix County Circuit Court.
Bergmann’s attorneys argued that their client had been overcharged.
But school resource officer Traci Hall told the court that Bergmann and the victim exchanged “approximately 33,000” text messages in the early part of this year, adding that the relationship became more sexual and explicit over time, the New York Post said.
Prosecutor Karl Anderson read some of the texts in court and pointed out that the messages became sexual on April 27.
Anderson said to Hall, “There’s a conversation about the victim being hard, and if she felt that during their hug,” he said. “Did she acknowledge that she felt it?”
She responded, “Yes.”
Anderson then asked, “What else did she say?”
Hall replied, “That she would wear dresses more often because she liked how he touched her leg.”
According to the Post, Anderson asked Hall, “Does Ms. Bergmann ever allude to being sexually aroused in the text messages?”
Hall replied, “She talks about being wet in the classroom.”
Bergmann’s attorneys argued that the text messages alone don’t support five charges of sexual misconduct.
“There is never any language where she says ‘I want to have sex with you,’ or that he says, ‘I want you to do this with me,'” attorney Joseph Tamburino stated.
Tamburino contended, “They talk a lot about kissing, and lips, and cheeks, and touching legs, but nothing like ‘this is what I want you to do to me,’ or ‘this is what I will do to you.'”
However, the judge disagreed and declared that the text messages were admissible evidence of sexual misconduct.
“It’s clear to me that the state has met its burden to find probable cause that the defendant has committed a felony,” the judge ruled, which moves the case forward. “Clearly, there was probable cause presented by the detective today. The case is bound to go for trial.”
You can view a video report here about the case.
Bergmann has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
She was released from jail on a $25,000 signature bond.
The Hudson School District sent a statement to parents regarding the alleged teacher sex scandal.
“Learning about a school staff member and alleged inappropriate conduct that breaches trust is deeply troubling for all of us,” school officials stated. “We understand the gravity of this situation and are committed to providing the necessary support for any child who may be impacted.”
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Teacher sex scandal, Child sex abuse, Child sex crimes, Teacher arrested, Crime, Wisconsin, Sexual misconduct charges