Lake Elmo resident Madison Bergmann, 25, a former elementary school teacher at River Crest Elementary, pleaded not guilty on Monday to 10 felony charges during a court hearing.
The charges include first-degree child sexual assault and other offenses related to allegations of an inappropriate relationship with an 11-year-old student.
Bergmann, who began teaching fifth grade at the school during the 2022-23 school year, has since resigned from the Hudson School District in Wisconsin.
Discovery of explicit communications
The case came to light earlier this year when the student’s mother allegedly overheard a phone call between her son and Bergmann. This spurred the family to look further into the situation and they reportedly found explicit text messages exchanged between the teacher and their child, the New York Post reported.
In early May, Bergmann was arrested and charged after the principal of River Crest Elementary notified Hudson police about possible inappropriate conduct between the teacher and a student, KARE 11 reported.
The New York Post reported that Bergmann was released on a $25,000 bond after her arrest. Nine additional charges were added in August, according to WCCO.
According to investigators, screenshots of text messages revealed Bergmann allegedly describing her enjoyment of the child touching her and the two “making out.”
Investigators found that Bergmann and the student exchanged approximately 33,000 messages, many of which were described as sexual in nature, according to multiple media reports.
Authorities allegedly uncovered handwritten notes between Bergmann and the boy. Nearly 100 letters, love notes, and artwork exchanged between Bergmann and the student were recovered from Bergmann’s classroom, according to WEAU.
In May when Bergmann was first charged, another student’s mother told the New York Post that her daughter mistakenly thought the boy was a troublemaker.
“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,” the mom added.
Authorities allege Bergmann moved the boy’s desk closer to hers so she could rub his legs during class, the New York Post reported.
Bergmann, who was engaged at the time of her arrest, was set to be married in July of this year. The wedding has been called off, according to reports from the New York Post.
List of felony charges
According to the Hudson Star-Observer, Bergmann pleaded not guilty to the following charges during a Monday court hearing:
- First Degree Child Sex Assault – Sexual Contact or Sexual Intercourse w/ Person under Age of 13
- Use a Computer to Facilitate a Child Sex Crime
- Child Enticement-Sexual Contact
- Child Enticement-Cause Mental/Bodily Harm
- Sexual Misconduct by School Staff or Volunteer
- Sexual Misconduct by School Staff or Volunteer
- Sexual Misconduct by School Staff or Volunteer
- Sexual Misconduct by School Staff or Volunteer
- Sexual Misconduct by School Staff or Volunteer
- Expose Child to Harmful Descriptions
Bergmann’s next court hearing will be on Dec. 19. Court records indicate that Bergmann resides in Lake Elmo, Minn.
Jenna Gloeb
Jenna Gloeb is an Edward R. Murrow Award-winning journalist, media producer, public speaker, and screenwriter. Most recently, she worked as a reporter and on-air host for CCX Media. Jenna is a Minnesota native and resides in the Twin Cities with her husband, son, daughter, and two dogs.
