Disgusting details of an alleged predatory relationship between a New Jersey special education teacher and her student have been revealed in court, with prosecutors saying that the educator was “obsessed with” the boy, who has since been hospitalized.
Former Freehold Intermediate School teacher Allison Havemann-Niedrach, 43, was arrested on charges of first-degree aggravated sexual assault and second-degree child welfare endangerment in late June, Breitbart News reported.
While details like the age and gender of the alleged victim were not publicly known at that time, Monmouth County Assistant Prosecutor Danielle Zanzuccki revealed in court Friday that there were allegedly 25,000 text messages between the suspect and a 15-year-old boy, the Asbury Park Press reported.
The texts allegedly included “photos and video that confirmed the sexual nature of their relationship,” according to the outlet.
Zanzuccki told the court that Havemann-Niedrach was “obsessed with this child” and posed a danger to him and the local community. While Zanzuccki requested that the defendant be remanded to jail, Superior Court Judge Vincent N. Falcetano ordered her to be released from custody and on home detention.
The investigation began in early June when Freehold Borough police received a report about concerns that the school’s vice principal had about a suspicious relationship between the teacher and the teen, Zanzuccki said.
The defendant had allegedly been seen bringing the alleged victim food and eating lunch with him in a classroom daily, with other staff members reporting these concerns to the vice principal.
Another teacher even allegedly saw Havemann-Niedrach rubbing the boy’s back, neck, and leg in a flirtatious manner, according to the assistant prosecutor.
When police alerted the boy’s mother, she also said she was worried because her daughter had brought up similar concerns, saying she had allegedly seen her brother in Havemann-Niedrach’s car and that he was constantly on his phone late at night.
Zanzuccki also told the court that the alleged victim had told a friend that he was dating a teacher.
When questioned by police, the boy denied allegations of a relationship between him and Havemann-Niedrach and claimed he was actually dating her daughter, the assistant prosecutor said.
The boy then turned his phone over to the police, which is when they discovered the thousands of messages.
The teen’s mother contacted law enforcement “a few days later” to report that her son had admitted to having a sexual relationship with the teacher, the Asbury Park Press reported.
Following this revelation, the boy was hospitalized for mental health concerns.
“This relationship situation was so much for him to bear that he ended up having a mental health issue,” the assistant prosecutor said.
“Clearly this is a very, very serious and disturbing offense,” Judge Falcetano said at the detention hearing.
While he let Havemann-Niedrach go on home detention, the judge restricted her from having any contact with minors except her two children, who are five and 12.
She has also been restricted from using a computer in order to prevent her from contacting minors.
Havemann-Niedrach’s lawyer, William Wackowski, told Falcetano that the defendant would be staying with her elderly parents while awaiting trial and noted that the parents and her husband were in the courtroom on Friday to support her.
The disgraced ex-teacher is scheduled to return to court on August 8.
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