Middle school teacher allegedly had sex with underage student allowed to sleep over at her home
Bergmann and the student met at Washington Middle School, where she was a teacher and soccer coach. Google St View
An Illinois middle school teacher and soccer coach has been charged with multiple felonies after prosecutors say she engaged in a sexual relationship with an underage student who sometimes stayed overnight at her home.
Jessica Bergmann, 34, a math teacher at Washington Middle School in Aurora, was arrested following a police investigation triggered by a tip from neighbors who reported seeing a teenage boy frequently visiting her home, according to court documents obtained by the Daily Herald.
Prosecutors from the DuPage County State’s Attorney’s Office allege that the 17-year-old victim first knew Bergmann as both a teacher and soccer coach when he attended Washington Middle School. The two later began communicating through text messages and phone calls during his sophomore year of high school, at which point “the relationship between the two turned sexual,” according to prosecutors.
Investigators say the student “would frequently go to Bergmann’s home, occasionally staying overnight, where the two would engage in sexual intercourse.”
Bergmann was taken into custody Friday and charged with one count of criminal sexual assault by a person in a position of authority and two counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse by a person in a position of authority.
“The profound abuse of trust and authority allegedly displayed by Ms. Bergmann is extremely disturbing and will be met with the full force of the law,” DuPage County State’s Attorney Robert Berlin said in a statement.
“Teachers are entrusted with our students’ wellbeing,” Berlin added. “They are given the responsibility to guide and protect our students, not to harm or exploit them. A teacher who takes advantage of a student, as alleged in this case, not only breaks the law but also betrays the trust placed in them by the community, the school, and the victim’s family.”
Although prosecutors sought to keep Bergmann in custody, a judge ordered her release under conditions that she have no contact with the victim or anyone under the age of 18, the Daily Herald reported.
Bergmann is scheduled to appear in court on December 1.
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