Illinois
Married Illinois teacher, 30, says she was accused of molesting boy, 15, because she’s ‘good looking’
A married Illinois special education teacher accused of molesting a 15-year-old student told police that she’s being set up by the teen — and that she was targeted for being “good looking.”
Christina Formella, 30, a teacher and soccer coach at Downers Grove South High School, insisted to cops she’s a “good person,” but that “everybody” comes after her because of her looks, according to documents obtained by WGN9.
The sporty dirty blonde denied having sex with the teenage student, and said that he accused her of having an inappropriate relationship with him because she “cared too much about him,” the documents show.
Formella — who married her college sweetheart in August last year — allegedly sexually assaulted the boy before the start of the school day in December 2023, DuPage County prosecutors said.
She claimed that the student had broken into her phone and used her number to send the inappropriate messages to her as a “blackmail” plot, investigators said.
“She claimed that one day, [the boy] had grabbed her phone unattended, had entered her passcode … had sent the message to his phone, had then deleted the message from her phone, and had saved it to his phone as blackmail,” the court documents read.
The messages were discovered last month by the victim’s mother after she bought him a new phone and linked it to his iCloud account, DuPage County prosecutors said.
Formella allegedly told the victim, “I love having sex with you,” in messages reportedly sent in 2023 when she was 28, court documents show.
“I know baby I love it so much … It feels so good … It’s so passionate … It’s so intimate … It’s so perfect,” the boy reportedly responded to Formella. “I love you so so much mama.”
Stay up to date on married teacher Christina Formella, accused of molesting boy, 15:
The relationship continued until the student broke it off, according to prosecutors.
When the messages were discovered, the mother took her son to Downers Grove police station and reported the alleged abuse.
Formella was charged with two counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse and one count of criminal sexual assault, and was released on the condition that she not enter the school grounds or have contact with anybody under 18.
She has also been placed on paid leave from her job.
Students have been urged to come forward to police or the school if they saw anything dangerous or unusual, and authorities will take “all reports seriously,” Board of Education President Don Renner said on Monday in a statement to the board.
Formella has denied the allegations against her and insisted she never had sex with the student.
She earned her teaching license in 2017, shortly after leaving Concordia University Chicago, where she and her husband met as student athletes. He played baseball, she played soccer.
Formella had been teaching at Downers Grove High since 2020, according to her LinkedIn.
New bodycam footage shows Formella breaking down in tears during her arrest on March 16, according to a video published by the YouTube channel Ape Huncho.
“I feel like I’m gonna throw up,” she said, as she sobbed into her cuffed hands and pulled her knees up to her chest.
Formella’s next court appearance is scheduled for April 14.
Illinois
Bears release statement as Illinois legislators take major step toward stadium bill
The Chicago Bears released a statement on Wednesday after Illinois legislators took a step forward with keeping the team in the state.
Shortly after the bill passed out of a House committee 15-5 and then was passed again by the full House, the Bears said the bill is not enough for them.
“We welcome the progress made on the House’s version of the mega project bill; however, additional amendments are necessary to make the Arlington Heights site feasible for our stadium project. We support Illinois leaders as they determine the path forward to making the essential changes to the mega project bill and aligning on infrastructure funding,” the team said in a statement.
The vote on Wednesday came after lawmakers spent weeks working to address concerns and criticism that the bill provided incentives to the team to leave Chicago and surrounding potential revenue shortfalls to area schools if the stadium is built in Arlington Heights.
Despite the team’s dissatisfaction, the megaprojects bill, which would allow the Bears to negotiate property tax payments directly with the Village of Arlington Heights, is headed now to the Senate.
A key piece of legislation designed to keep the Chicago Bears’ stadium project in Illinois is being weighed, and Rose Schmidt has details on what’s in it.
That said, the bill’s lead Senate sponsor State Sen. Bill Cunningham told NBC Chicago’s Mary Ann Ahern that legislators “feel no pressure to take a vote next week” when the Senate returns on Tuesday.
“We will work this bill like any other bill,” Cunningham said.
Though the team is not satisfied with the deal, it seems Illinois Governor Pritzker is.
“Governor Pritzker has been clear and consistent for years that the Bears should remain in Illinois, and that any legislation needs to protect taxpayers. Throughout the past few months, the Governor’s Office brought team leadership, local officials, and legislative partners to the table to craft a deal around public infrastructure improvements, property tax fairness, and affordability measures. Today is an important step, and the Governor’s Office looks forward to working with the Illinois General Assembly to advance a bill that reflects our shared priorities,” Pritzker’s office said in a statement on Wednesday.
Illinois
First annual Illinois Film Festival set for Wilmette in August
The new initiative invites young, up-and-coming directors,…
Illinois
GOP Rep. Ryan Spain opposes Illinois redistricting changes
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