[Warning: Potentially Triggering Content]
A substitute teacher is facing the next several decades behind bars after admitting to sexually assaulting an 11-year-old boy.
Alley Bardfield, a former substitute teacher with Decatur Public Schools in Macon County, Illinois pleaded guilty last Thursday to predatory criminal sexual assault in a case that had been looking into her alleged after-school sexual activities with a child.
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Bardfield, pictured in her mugshot (above), was accused of inviting the young boy over to her house for what a police affidavit said she called “play dates” last year after first meeting him at a school in the city of Mt. Zion. The unsettling investigation lasted nearly 18 months, but in the end, cops and prosecutors are confident they got it right. And in turn, the disgraced 34-year-old owned up to a horrific act…
A Long Investigation
Police in Mt. Zion first became aware of Bardfield in early April of last year, according to WCIA News. The mother of one of the teacher’s 11-year-old students at Hope Academy started becoming concerned about her son’s changing behavior. The mom investigated, and eventually went so far as to file a lawsuit against the former teacher and the school district. And it was while that lawsuit played out that Bardfield’s alleged activities came to light.
According to multiple local news outlets, the boy first visited Bardfield’s home outside of school hours back in 2023. He then returned there two more times in March of 2024. And it was during those more recent visits when the adult woman and the child allegedly had sexual encounters, as his parents and the police eventually learned.
The lawsuit stated:
“[Bardfield] abused her position as a sixth grade teacher to exploit our client’s trust and engage in reprehensible acts. Ms. Bardfield’s actions have had a profound and lasting impact on our client, which will likely lead to significant physical, emotional, and psychological challenges.”
Amid the lawsuit’s maneuvering through court, cops were obviously called, too, and a criminal investigation was initiated. As part of that investigative work, Bardfield was arrested on April 3, 2024.
The Story Comes Out
According to a police affidavit from the time of her arrest, Bardfield had the 11-year-old over to her house overnight on March 29, 2024. He was there for about 25 hours, then returned home to his parents acting markedly different.
That led the mom to check her son’s phone. On it, the horrors: she allegedly found messages of a sexual nature between Bardfield and the boy, as well as pictures of the two of them flipping off the camera. Bardfield had also allegedly transferred CashApp payments totaling $700 to the boy.
The mom pressed her son on the findings, and he eventually confessed to her that he’d had unprotected sexual intercourse with the teacher.
WTF…
The mother took her son to local cops in Mt. Zion, who also interviewed him. In front of investigators, the boy repeated his statement that he’d spent the night in Bardfield’s bedroom, and detailed their activities that day leading up to sex. He also told cops that Bardfield had allegedly mentioned she wanted to send nude pictures to him via Snapchat.
Laying The Trap
After that convo, cops actually decided to allow the boy to have a monitored text message conversation with Bardfield — as well as a phone call AND a video chat.
During those monitored conversations, Bardfield allegedly discussed sex with the boy. She also talked to the boy about birth control and pregnancy before asking him to delete their texts and messages.
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Then, during the phone call, Bardfield reportedly told the boy that she could not get pregnant, and that she wanted to see the child again. Cops say she also gave him instructions on how to communicate discreetly with her via social media channels going forward.
And then, according to the police affidavit, she ended the conversation by saying she missed the boy “a whole lot.” Ew.
The Teacher’s Story
After being arrested and read her Miranda rights, Bardfield agreed to speak with the cops. Per their affidavit, she admitted to investigators that she did have sexual intercourse with the 11-year-old boy at those aforementioned “play dates” at her home. She also allegedly copped to sending him nude photos.
But her story differed from the boy’s in several jaw-dropping ways. For one, she claimed to cops that the boy was actually the one to make the initial sexual advances towards her. Uhhhh. WTF?! Seriously?? He’s 11 years old, lady!!!
And not only that, but she claimed that the boy had asked for money. She said that was why she paid him $700 through CashApp, and it wasn’t meant to be, like, a hush money payment. Hmmm.
Obviously, cops weren’t swayed by her story. They processed her arrest, charged her with predatory criminal sexual assault, and shipped her off to the Macon County Jail.
Prison Looms
Fast forward to the end of last week, then, and Bardfield pled guilty to predatory criminal sexual assault — which is a felony. She has long since been fired from Decatur Public Schools, too, as you might expect.
In Illinois, predatory criminal sexual assault is punishable by up to 60 years in prison. But according to WCIA News and others, as part of the plea deal, Bardfield and Macon County prosecutors agreed to cap her prison term at a maximum of 40 years.
She will find out the exact amount when she heads back to court for sentencing on September 25. According to TooFab, she will be eligible for release only after serving at least 85 percent of whatever prison sentence is determined at that sentencing hearing.
As for the fallout of her actions, the Mt. Zion Police Department shared a statement about it with People:
“These allegations are shocking, especially when the alleged perpetrator is a person in a position of trust. The Mt. Zion Police Department is fully committed to working with victims and their families as they deal with the trauma that results from these incidents.”
We can’t even imagine what that boy went through — and how it will affect the rest of his life.
If you have sincere cause to suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org.
If you or someone you know has experienced sexual violence and would like to learn more about resources, consider checking out https://www.rainn.org/resources.
[Image via Macon County Sheriff’s Office]