The article mentions child sex abuse. Please read with caution.
Madison Bergmann, an engaged 24-year-old female Wisconsin school teacher was arrested for allegedly “making out” with one of her 5th-grade male students, and her fiancé has spoken out about the status of their wedding, the New York Post reported.
Bergmann told the police her abusive relationship with the 11-year-old boy began when she accompanied the kid’s family on a ski trip. Why Bergmann was invited is unclear. Bergmann and the boy exchanged cell phone numbers while skiing, she said, and he called her several times on the outing.
Bergmann and the child then started texting each other and speaking on the phone, passing inappropriate notes to each other in class, and allegedly “kissing” when the boy stayed after school and during lunch. Bergmann is also accused of secretly touching the child in class. Reportedly, Bergmann told her student she loved him and was “obsessed” with him.
The boy’s mom caught Bergmann and her son on the phone
In late April 2024, the boy’s mother caught her son and Bergmann talking on the phone. She told her son he had crossed a boundary and emailed Bergmann, telling the teacher to no longer contact the boy. The child’s father, however, discovered inappropriate messages between Bergmann and his son and reported Bergmann to the school.
Bergmann was placed on administrative leave and arrested on first-degree child sexual assault charges, according to CBS News. She was expected to appear in court in late May. Bergmann was engaged to marry her fiancé, Sam Hickman, just a few months after she got caught. Speaking with the New York Post, Hickman’s friend said the wedding was “indefinitely postponed.”
Hickman’s friend said the following,
“Sam is really upset and heartbroken. He’s embarrassed and p****d. He didn’t deserve this. Everyone is p****d … He says it’s f***ed up that she cheated with a little kid. He’s really, really hurt. Not talking too much about it, just like, ‘This is f***ed up.’ He’s still in shock.”
via the New York Post
Bergmann tried to break off the relationship
In one of the written messages she sent to the boy, Madison Bergmann reportedly mentioned her cousin was also in the 5th grade. “I can’t imagine a man talking to her how we talk,” Bergmann said, according to Fox 9. “I know we have a special relationship and I do love you more than anyone in the world but I have to be the adult here and stop.”
After Bergmann was placed on administrative leave and arrested, the principal at the boy’s school wrote to parents, “We are shocked and disturbed by this news. Our greatest concern is for the River Crest School community and the children impacted.”
If you know someone suffering from sexual violence, contact RAINN or the National Sexual Abuse Telephone Hotline at 1-800-656-4673.