DECATUR, Illinois (Gray News) – A substitute teacher in Illinois pleaded guilty sexually assaulting an 11-year-old student during “play dates” at her home, according to reports.
Former Decatur Public Schools employee Alley Bardfield, 34, pleaded guilty to predatory criminal sexual assault, according to WCIA.
She reached a partial plea deal with prosecutors in which she agreed to the sole count against her.
The case started in April 2024 when Mt. Zion police were informed by a mother that Bardfield had an inappropriate relationship with her 11-year-old son.
The boy was assigned to Bardfield’s class at Hope Academy in Decatur.
According to a lawsuit filed by the child’s parents, the boy had multiple “play dates” at Bardfield’s home in 2023.
He then visited again twice in March 2024. During those visits in 2024, the boy and Bardfield had two sexual encounters.
The child’s mother noticed her son acting differently after the second visit. When she checked his phone, she discovered social media messages between him and Bardfield and up to $700 sent to him through CashApp.
The boy’s mother confronted him about this, and police said he disclosed having sexual intercourse with Bardfield.
Bardfield also admitted during her own interviews to having intercourse with the boy, claiming the child made sexual advances toward her that night, WICS reported.
Bardfield got 10 years in prison at her sentencing on September 25.
By AKIM POWELL/Gray News