Decatur substitute teacher accused of ‘sexual encounter’ with 11-year-old student

Bradley Zimmerman
·2 min read
13

MT. ZION, Ill. (WCIA) — A substitute teacher within the Decatur Public Schools district is under arrest after police officials said she had a “sexual encounter” with a student in her Mt. Zion home.

DPS and the Mt. Zion Police Department announced the arrest Thursday morning. Alley Bardfield, 32, was arrested the previous day following a joint investigation between Mt. Zion Police and the Macon County Sheriff’s Office. DPS, meanwhile, said Bardfield was a long-term substitute within their district and is no longer employed there.

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Adam Skundberg, Mt. Zion’s Chief of Police, said his department was notified on Tuesday of a possible inappropriate relationship between Bardfield and an 11-year-old boy whose sixth-grade class she was assigned to. The boy’s mother reported that he was acting differently after a March 29 visit to Bardfield’s home.

After checking her son’s phone and social media, the mother later had a conversation with her son. Skundberg said the boy disclosed having a sexual encounter with Bardfield during his visit to her home.

The Mt. Zion Police Department and Macon County Sheriff’s Office conducted a joint investigation on Wednesday, Skundberg said. After reviewing text messages and social media, a search warrant was obtained for Bardfield’s home.

As a result, corroborating evidence was found and probable cause was established to arrest Bardfield. She was booked into the Macon County Jail on preliminary charges of predatory criminal sexual assault and grooming, Class X and Class 4 felonies, respectively.

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“These allegations are shocking, especially when the alleged perpetrator is a person in a position of trust,” Skundberg said. “The Mt. Zion Police Department is fully committed working with victims and their families as they deal with the trauma that results from these incidents.

Decatur Public Schools also said they are working with the Mt. Zion Police Department in the investigation and are providing support to students and staff. Student safety, DPS officials said, is always their top priority.

Bardfield appeared in court on Thursday for arraignment on one count of predatory criminal sexual assault; the Macon County State’s Attorney’s Office did not charge her with grooming. If convicted on the sexual assault charge, Bardfield faces anywhere from six to 60 years in prison and up to life on parole after release.

Denied pretrial release, Bardfield is scheduled to be in court again on April 17 for a preliminary hearing.

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