Married Illinois special ed. teacher charged with molesting student, 15: ‘Extremely disturbing’
A married Illinois special education teacher has been arrested for allegedly molesting a 15-year-old student during a tutoring session, according to prosecutors.
Christina Formella, 30, was busted in the Chicago suburb of Downers Grove Sunday — days after a student told police she molested him in a Downers Grove South High School classroom in December 2023.
Formella — who married her college sweetheart in August 2024 — also coached soccer at the school.
DuPage County prosecutors said that Formella coached the boy and was his tutor, and the alleged sex assault happened before the school day started.
“The allegations against Ms. Formella are extremely disturbing,” DuPage County Attorney Robert Berlin said in a statement.
“It is alleged that she used her position of trust and authority as a tutor and a coach to sexually assault a minor student. The type of abuse and behavior alleged in this case will not be tolerated.”
The boy’s mother uncovered the details of the alleged assault after looking through his phone, and on Friday the pair went to the Downers Grove Police Department together to report the incident.
Police caught up with Formella during a traffic stop in Downers Grove on Sunday and arrested her.
Wedding from social media show her smiling last fall with her strapping new husband, who played baseball for their alma mater, Concordia University Chicago.
She is charged with two counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse and one count of criminal sexual assault.
After her booking, Formella was released on the conditions that she have no contact with anybody under age 18, and that she not enter the Downers Grove South High School.
Formella has taught at the school since 2020, according to her LinkedIn.
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