A Wisconsin teacher, Madison Bergmann currently faces serious allegations of sexually assaulting an 11-year-old student. Reports indicate that she sent over 33,000 explicit text messages to him since the beginning of this year.
During a preliminary hearing at St. Croix County Circuit Court, some of these messages were read aloud, during which Bergmann, aged 24, bowed her head in shame.
Bergmann is charged with ten felonies, including first-degree child sexual assault and child enticement, as reported by the New York Post.a
School resource officer Traci Hall testified that the relationship between Bergmann and the victim escalated significantly in the early part of this year.
Hall detailed explicit exchanges in which Bergmann admitted to physical interactions with the boy, including conversations about feeling aroused during hugs and her choice to wear dresses because she liked the way he touched her.
Defence attorney Joseph Tamburino countered that the text messages did not explicitly indicate a desire for sexual acts, arguing that they lacked direct language such as “I want to have sex with you.”
“They talk a lot about kissing, and lips, and cheeks, and touching legs,” Tamburino continued.
“They also talk about some sexual issues, obviously, about a woman’s body and a man’s body. 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 ruled that the evidence presented was sufficient to establish probable cause for the charges.
The allegations came to light when the victim’s mother overheard him talking to Bergmann on the phone and later found inappropriate texts on his device.
Investigations revealed that their interactions included several encounters in Bergmann’s classroom during lunch or after school.
During a police search of Bergmann’s classroom, officers reportedly discovered a folder in her bag labelled with the victim’s name. This folder allegedly contained handwritten notes detailing their intimate encounters, including references to kissing and fondling.
Bergmann resigned from her position at River Crest Elementary School shortly after the allegations came to light in May.
Bergmann made headlines in May when she was accused of allegedly ‘making out’ with the fifth-grader weeks before her wedding.
She has pleaded not guilty to all charges and is scheduled for further court proceedings as the case moves toward trial.
If convicted, she could face significant prison time for her actions.
