A New Jersey middle school teacher is accused of sexually abusing a minor, and a prosecutor testified in court that the teacher was “obsessed with” the alleged victim.
Allison Havemann-Niedrach, a 43-year-old Freehold Intermediate School teacher, was arrested in late June and charged with first-degree aggravated sexual assault and second-degree endangering the welfare of a child, according to a Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office news release.
According to the announcement, the alleged sexual assault started earlier in 2024.
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It is not immediately known whether Havemann-Niedrach has submitted a plea. Her attorneys, Thomas Huth, and William Wackowski, did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s requests for comment.
According to the Asbury Park Press and Jersey Shore Online, assistant prosecutor Danielle Zanzuccki claimed in court on Friday, July 5, that the defendant and the 15-year-old child exchanged 25,000 text messages. (According to Jersey Shore Online, the boy’s phone was turned over to authorities after he signed a consent form allowing police to search it throughout the inquiry.)
According to Zanzuccki, the student informed a buddy that he was dating Havemann-Niedrach. Another instructor told authorities she witnessed the suspect “rubbing the victim’s neck and back area in a circular motion, that she appeared to be flirting with him, and that she noticed her touching his leg,” Zanzuccki said.
Zanzuccki stated that the youngster was once hospitalized for a mental health evaluation due to concerns about his well-being.
“This was so much for this kid that he ended up having a mental health crisis in the middle of the investigation,” she told the court, according to Jersey Shore Online.
Zanzuccki referred to Havemann-Niedrach, a married mother of two small children, saying, “I would submit that she’s obsessed with this child.”
According to the PEOPLE, Superior Court Judge Vincent N. Falcetano ordered the suspect’s release from jail and placed her on home detention. The teacher’s husband and parents were there in court to support her.
The Asbury Park Press claims that Havemann-Niedrach has since lost her job, citing court procedures. The office of Freehold Borough School Superintendent Asia Michael did not respond immediately, but did refer PEOPLE to a statement published in media outlets that stated, in part, that the “safety and well-being of our students and staff have been our top priority, and we took immediate measures to ensure their protection.”