Teacher charged with sexually assaulting 15-year-old student

By Sara Tenenbaum

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    DOWNERS GROVE, Illinois (WBBM) — A teacher and soccer coach at Downers Gove South High School has been charged with sexually assaulting a teenage student.

Christina Formella, 30, has been charged with one count of criminal sexual abuse, one count of criminal sexual assault and one count of aggravated criminal sexual abuse, all felonies.

Downers Grove police and the DuPage County state’s attorney said a 15-year-old boy and his mother went to police on Saturday to report alleged “inappropriate sexual conduct” by Formella.

The boy told police that in December 2023, he was with Formella in a classroom for a tutoring session before school when she sexually assaulted him. His mother discovered the assault when looking through a text message thread on her son’s phone, prosecutors said.

Downers Grove police arrested Formella Sunday during a traffic stop. She appeared in court Monday, and while she was granted pre-trial release, the judge ordered she’s not allowed to enter Downers Grove South High School and cannot have any contact with any persons under the age of 18.

She is due back in court on April 14.

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