Madison Bergmann plea deal sees former Hudson, Wisconsin 5th grade teacher agree to lesser charges over exploitation of 11 year old boy [PHOTOS]

A former Hudson, Wisconsin elementary school teacher broke down in tears in court Monday as she agreed to a plea deal on charges related to sexually abusing an 11-year-old student.

Madison Bergmann, 25, a former fifth-grade teacher at River Crest Elementary, pleaded guilty to one count of child enticement and two counts of sexual misconduct by school staff. The deal came after prosecutors dropped more serious charges, including first-degree sexual assault of a child, using a computer to facilitate a child sex crime, exposing a child to harmful descriptions, and additional counts of enticement and misconduct.

Before the agreement, Bergmann faced up to 18 years behind bars following her May 2, 2024 arrest. With the plea arrangement, she now faces up to 12 years when she is sentenced on December 22, 2025.

Madison Bergmann plea deal sees former Hudson, Wisconsin 5th grade teacher agree to lesser charges over exploitation of 11 year old boy

 

The case first came to light when the victim’s mother overheard her son speaking with Bergmann on the phone. After checking the boy’s device, his parents uncovered explicit text messages between the teacher and the student, including discussions of encounters in the classroom during lunch and after school hours.

According to investigators, Bergmann and the child exchanged more than 35,000 text messages and nearly three dozen emails, many of which described physical contact and desires for the relationship to escalate. A search of her classroom also revealed a folder containing over 100 handwritten notes from the boy, further documenting the inappropriate relationship.

The discovery enraged the boy’s father, who stormed into the school with printed conversations as evidence. Authorities then launched a full investigation, uncovering what prosecutors described as a disturbing abuse of trust and authority.

 

Bergmann resigned from Hudson Public Schools on May 13, 2024. The scandal also derailed her personal life — she had been engaged to marry her fiancé, Sam Hickman, in July 2024, but the engagement was called off following her arrest.

Her sentencing is scheduled for late December, where a judge will determine the final outcome of her case.