Madison Bergmann, a former Wisconsin teacher accused of sexually assaulting her 11-year-old student, faced a judge in Hudson, Wisconsin on Thursday. Bergmann, who made headlines for allegedly “making out” with the fifth-grader weeks before her wedding, argued that the charges against her should be dismissed because the boy’s text messages were not specific enough about their physical contact.
However, the judge ruled that Bergmann must stand trial for charges including first-degree child sex assault, child enticement, and sexual misconduct by a school staff member. The intimate text messages exchanged between Bergmann and the boy were presented in court, revealing explicit conversations where Bergmann expressed a desire to touch the boy’s abs and engage in physical contact.
If convicted on all charges, Bergmann faces a maximum sentence of up to 178 years in prison. Despite her defense team’s arguments, the judge determined that the word “chest” used in the text messages did not negate the allegations of sexual assault.
During the court hearing, Bergmann appeared with her father, wearing braids in her hair and a black top with light-colored pants. She became emotional while testifying, and her attorney argued that the statutory definition of sexual contact required specific intimate parts to be touched, which did not include the word “chest.”
The judge disagreed with this argument, stating that it would be unreasonable to expect a child victim to use legal terminology when describing their experiences. Additional text messages were read in court, detailing further instances of physical contact between Bergmann and the boy.
Bergmann, a former fifth-grade teacher at River Crest Elementary School, was initially charged with first-degree sexual assault of a child. Subsequent charges included using a computer to facilitate a child sex crime, sexual misconduct by school staff, child enticement causing harm, and exposing a child to harmful materials.
The criminal complaint against Bergmann revealed that the alleged abuse came to light when the boy’s mother overheard him speaking to the teacher on the phone. Upon investigation, salacious text messages were discovered, detailing inappropriate encounters in the classroom during lunch or after school.
Some of the alleged assaults reportedly took place within Bergmann’s classroom, and the boy’s father brought printouts of the conversations to the school authorities. A search of Bergmann’s classroom allegedly uncovered a folder with the victim’s name containing handwritten notes describing their physical interactions.
Bergmann has pleaded not guilty to all charges, and her attorney has not provided any comments to the media. The case continues to unfold as Bergmann awaits trial for the serious allegations brought against her.
