A teacher at a Wisconsin Christian school is accused of having sex with a middle school student and then purchasing him a gun, CBS 58 reports.
An investigation into the teacher, 34-year-old Tyesha Bolden, started on July 25, when the mother of an eighth-grade student at Pilgrim Lutheran School reported to police that her son had taken a family member’s vehicle may be staying at the home of a teacher.
The mother told investigators she suspected the teacher was having an inappropriate relationship with the child after discovering text messages and explicit photographs on the device.
School officials told police they discussed the matter with Bolden and terminated her employment after examining her phone.
On July 28, police stopped the 14-year-old student while he was driving and seized a Glock handgun and a phone.
The boy’s parents told police that their son began “making poor choices” in July and that they had found text messages in which Bolden allegedly sent him nude images of herself. She allegedly told him that “she loved him unconditionally,” according to court records obtained by WISN-TV.
The eighth grader told investigators that he and Bolden had sex in a park near Milwaukee in June and that after the encounter, he asked her to purchase him a gun, which allegedly was a gift for his 14th birthday.
The victim and Bolden allegedly exchanged more than 2,200 messages between late May and late July, according to WTMJ-TV.
“I want to see you as often as possible and the rest will just happen,” Bolden allegedly told the boy, according to the television station.
Milwaukee County prosecutors have charged Bolden with second-degree assault and providing a dangerous weapon to a minor. If convicted, Bolden could be sentenced up to 43 years in prison.
Shaun Luehring, president and CEO of LUMIN Schools, issued a statement in response to media inquiries about the allegations:
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. Please direct additional questions to the Brown Deer Police Department.
