Wisconsin middle school teacher accused of having sex with 8th-grade student and buying him a gun

A former middle school teacher in Wisconsin has been accused of sexually assaulting her eighth-grade student. The alleged behavior started when the boy was just 13 years old.

WITI reported that prosecutors claim Tyesha Bolden, 34, also bought the victim a Glock 19 pistol as a birthday gift. The boy told investigators that his inappropriate communication with Bolden lasted until late July, when the teacher refused to buy him another gun.

Court filings revealed that Bolden and the victim first met at Pilgrim Lutheran School in Wauwatosa last October. This was around the time when Bolden became the victim's teacher. Investigators said the two swapped more than 2,200 messages between late May and late July of this year.

In the messages, Bolden concedes that the victim is a minor and she feels guilty. The report noted in that in one message, Bolden says: "I want to see you as often as possible and the rest will just happen."

The boy said Bolden sent him nude photos in early 2023.

In June, the boy said Bolden picked him up and that they had sex at a Brown Deer park. After the boy turned 14, Bolden decided to give him a firearm.

Bolden has been charged with second-degree sexual assault of a child and giving a dangerous weapon to a person under 18 years old. If she is convicted of both felonies, she could face up to 40 years in prison.

She made her first court appearance on Saturday. Cash bail was set at $2,500, per the report.

The president and CEO of Pilgrim Lutheran shared the following statement with WITI: "As a faith based, Christ-centered network, LUMIN Schools is comprised of Christian team members united by our mission. We strive to be a network of schools that is Christian in every sense of the word. Therefore, we expect our staff to represent Jesus Christ and the mission of LUMIN Schools – not only in their work, but in their personal lives as well.

"LUMIN takes the physical, emotional and spiritual safety of our students incredibly seriously. To that end, we conduct background checks on all candidates prior to employment. We share our expectations around standards of conduct with all teachers and employees, and execute regular trainings to ensure our expectations, policies and procedures are understood in practice.

"Recently, LUMIN leadership received information indicating that a Pilgrim Lutheran School teacher violated our standards of conduct. We immediately shared the information with local authorities and began an internal investigation. Within 24 hours, members of LUMIN’s administrative team met with the teacher and determined there had been a violation of the LUMIN Schools Standards of Conduct leading to immediate termination.

"On August 15, the Brown Deer Police notified LUMIN that their investigation uncovered additional information and the former teacher was placed under arrest."

WDJT-TV reported that the school sent a letter home to parents following the incident. The letter, in part, states the following: "If your student comes to you with questions, please reinforce that if an adult makes them feel uncomfortable for any reason, they should tell a trusted adult right away."

"These conversations can be difficult to navigate, so if you would like support discussing this, or any other complex issues with your student(s), I can connect you with a number of resources including pastors, social workers, and counselors at Lutheran Counseling and Family Services."

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Former Wauwatosa teacher charged, sexual assault of student | FOX6 News Milwaukeewww.youtube.com