Further disturbing details have emerged about a 24-year-old teacher’s alleged conduct with the 11-year-old pupil she is accused of ‘making out’ with.
As previously reported, Wisconsin teacher Madison Bergmann, 24, has been charged with one count of first-degree child sexual assault with a child under age 13, according to CBS News, after the boy’s mother allegedly found messages between the pair.
According to the outlet, police were called to River Crest Elementary School in Hudson, in regards to “inappropriate conduct between a current teacher and a 5th grade student.”
Now, further details about her alleged behavior with him in the classroom have been revealed, including how she allegedly moved his desk next to hers so she could touch him during class without other pupils seeing.
The mother of another student in the fifth-grader’s class told the New York Post: “My daughter thought he was a problem kid. She said that his desk got moved next to [Bergmann’s] a couple of months ago, and she just assumed that he was in trouble.
“When it was time for lunch, she’d ask him to stay after class, so that just fed into the idea that he was constantly getting into trouble.”
According to a criminal complaint filed on Thursday in St. Croix District Court, the alleged victim also reported a similar story.
He told sex crime investigators that Bergmann would rub his thigh and calves during independent reading time.
The 11-year-old added that he believed his desk in her classroom at River Crest Elementary School in Hudson had been strategically placed so “he did not believe any of the other kids would see it happening.”
He also told police that Bergmann would have him stay after class and claimed that she kissed him several times in her classroom, either after school or while the other students were at lunch.
The alleged interactions between the pair came to light after the child’s parents reportedly found messages between them.
According to charging documents, the mother had first heard the pair talking on the phone before telling the boy’s father, who found the text messages on their son’s phone.
The child told investigators that he and Bergmann had talked “almost daily” since he got her number when the two of them and his mother went skiing together over the winter break at Afton Alps, a nearby resort, after the boy’s family had befriended her.
According to the boy, he and Bergmann would also write notes to each other all day, with officers allegedly finding handwritten letters in a folder with the boy’s name on it inside Bergmann’s backpack.
Police summarized the interaction between the two, stating: “In her notes, she tells him she loves him, wants to kiss him, he turns her on, and that she is obsessed with him.”
According to the documents, Bergmann allegedly wrote in one of the notes: “One of my cousins is in the 5th grade and I can’t imagine a man talking to her how we talk. I know we have a special relationship and I do love you more than anyone in the world but I have to be the adult here and stop.”
Law & Crime reports that in another exchange, the boy told her: “Haha bro I just want to make out with you,” to which Bergmann allegedly replied: “I do too! Like alllll the time.”
According to the complaint, one text Bergmann sent the boy allegedly read: “I almost kissed you when you were on the ground today, but I got distracted by your stomach”, while in another she allegedly told him she “wanted to just grab your face and push you to the floor and make out with you.”
The boy’s furious father reportedly printed out the text messages and took them to the school, upon which authorities immediately opened an investigation.
The child also allegedly told investigators that the two had kissed several times and had spoken about having sex, according to KSTP.
Bergmann appeared in court on Thursday and was released on a $25,000 bond, with Law & Crime reporting that she was also put on leave from her job and barred from the school property, as well as being ordered to have no contact with the child in question or anyone under the age of 18.
She is also reportedly banned from contacting any students, staff, or parents from the school, and must wear a GPS monitor while out on bond, and can’t travel more than 100 miles from Hudson, Wisconsin.
Bergmann, who got engaged in December, has also apparently had her wedding called off by her fiancé, with sources claiming he is “p**sed” to find that not only had she allegedly cheated, but that it was with “a little kid”.
Hudson School District sent a message to families, according to KSTP, reading: “Learning about a school staff member and alleged inappropriate conduct that breaches trust is deeply troubling for all of us.
“We understand the gravity of this situation and are committed to providing the necessary support for any child who may be impacted.
“We kindly request the school community to respect the privacy of Hudson students and their families and refrain from spreading rumors or speculation. The School District counseling staff are available to help any child or staff who may be experiencing difficulties with this news.”
A progress hearing has been set for May 30.
