Illinois teacher indicted on 52 additional charges in student sexual abuse case
An Illinois grand jury has filed an indictment against an Illinois high school teacher on 52 additional charges relating to the alleged sexual assault and abuse of a student in 2023.
Video released in April showed 30-year-old Christina Formella getting pulled over during a traffic stop and being taken into custody after being charged with various sex crimes for having an inappropriate sexual relationship with a student in 2023.
Formella had been accused of sexually assaulting the boy in a classroom during a tutoring session before class began at Downers Grove South High School in December 2023. The victim's mother discovered the alleged assault when looking through her son's text message thread on his cellphone and then contacted police, prosecutors said.
During Formella's first court appearance March 17, she was charged with two counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse and one count of criminal sexual assault.
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On Tuesday, DuPage County State's Attorney Robert Berlin announced that Formella had been indicted on 52 additional counts involving previously unknown sexual abuse and assault of the student.
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The grand jury indicted Formella on 20 counts of sexual assault, 20 counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse, six counts of indecent solicitation of a child and six counts of grooming, all felony charges.
Berlin's office said in a news release March 15 the victim, who was 15 at the time of the alleged assault, went to the Downers Grove Police Department with his parents to report inappropriate sexual contact allegedly committed by the boy's tutor and soccer coach, who was later identified as Formella.
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The Downers Grove Police Department and DuPage County Children's Advocacy Center opened an investigation, which led to the initial charges.
A further investigation that involved interviews with the victim in which he alleged additional sexual abuse by Formella, determined the sexual abuse began in January 2023 and continued through August or September 2024.
During that time period, Berlin's office said, Formella allegedly sent the boy multiple text messages that were "grooming in nature." The investigation also found the victim and Formella allegedly engaged in sexual acts about 50 times, both at the school and at Formella's home. The allegations claim the two engaged in sex acts at least 45 times at the school.
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"The new allegations against Ms. Formella, including the allegations of grooming and that the abuse lasted nearly two years, are beyond disturbing," Berlin said. "I thank the victim in this case for having the courage to come forward during what I imagine is an extremely difficult time for him.
"I also thank the DuPage County Children's Center, particularly Investigator George Fencl, as well as Assistant State's Attorneys Jaclyn McAndrew and Michael Fisher for their work not only in this case but for their continued efforts protecting our children."
Formella appeared in court Tuesday morning for a status hearing, where the state filed a second petition to deny her pretrial release, though Judge Mia McPherson denied the request.
Her next appearance is scheduled for Aug. 4.
Bodycam footage of Formella's arrest showed her appearing confused when police asked her to exit the vehicle during a traffic stop.
They then arrested her and placed her in the back of a police vehicle, where she asked questions about her detention.
Formella could be heard sobbing in the back seat of a police vehicle and asked for her husband, her childhood sweetheart whom she married last year, according to reports.
"I feel like I'm gonna throw up," she said in the March 16 video, continuing to cry in the back seat.
Formella, who was also a soccer coach, began tutoring the alleged victim after he broke his collarbone, and they began messaging each other on a school platform, according to court documents obtained by TMZ. The pair then allegedly exchanged provocative texts, followed by FaceTime chats that led to the December 2023 sexual incident.
Fox News Digital's Michael Dorgan contributed to this report.Original article source: Illinois teacher indicted on 52 additional charges in student sexual abuse case
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