Husband stands by Chicago teacher accused of having sex with student more than 50 times
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The husband of a Chicago high school teacher accused of sexually assaulting a student more than 50 times is showing support for her after the couple arrived in court seeking to reduce the distance from her alleged victim.
Christina Formella, a 30-year-old teacher at Downers Grove South High School, is facing 55 counts of criminal sexual assault, aggravated criminal sexual abuse, indecent solicitation of a child and grooming.
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While Judge Mia McPherson denied an earlier request from the prosecution to hold Formella in custody while she awaits trial, a number of conditions were set for the former educator.
One of the conditions requires Formella, a special education teacher and soccer coach, to wear a GPS tracker and live at least 5,000 feet (1,524 metres) away from the alleged victim’s home, school and workplace.
Formella’s lawyer Todd Pugh asked the judge on Wednesday for the buffer be reduced from 5,000 feet to 2,500 feet, but the request was denied.
Formella has been living with her parents since mid-June as the couple’s marital home is within the exclusion zone mandated by the court.
After the judge denied the request, Pugh said outside the courtroom that Formella has “a great family, plenty of support,” reports the Chicago Tribune.
Meanwhile, a person who sat behind the couple inside the courtroom on Wednesday revealed that they were smiling during the proceedings.
“Michael was holding her hand the entire time,” the source told the New York Post.
“They were smiling at each other, literally smiling at each other the entire time until she got up. They look really confident.”
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Formella was arrested and charged in mid-March after the alleged victim and his family went to the Downers Grove Police Department to report claims of inappropriate sexual contact.
Following an investigation, the 15-year-old victim revealed further allegations of sexual abuse that dated back to January 2023 and continued through August/September 2024.
“It is alleged that during this time, Formella sent the victim multiple text messages that were grooming in nature and that she and the victim had engaged in sexual acts approximately 50 times, both at the school and at Formella’s home, including at least 45 times at the school,” the DuPage County State’s Attorney Office said in a statement on June 17 in which 52 additional charges were announced.
DuPage County state attorney Robert Berlin called the new allegations “beyond disturbing.”
“I thank the victim in this case for having the courage to come forward during what I image is an extremely difficult time for him,” Berlin said.
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