Melissa Bonkoski, a 38-year-old Pennslyvania high school teacher, has been arrested on sexual assault charges after she allegedly had a sexual relationship with one of her male students.
Bonkoski, 38, who taught earth science at Owen J. Roberts High School in at Pottstown, Pennsylvania since 2015, was arrested Thursday, August 17, and charged with eight felonies. Bonkoski, who was reportedly “obsessed” with the male student, was charged with three counts of institutional sexual assault, three counts of unlawful contact with a minor, one count of corruption of minors and one count of criminal use of a communication facility.
According to the court records, Bonkoski’s relationship with the unnamed victim began back on December 1, 2015. The 16-year-old victim, who remains unidentified, reportedly had Bonkoski as a teacher during his freshman year at Owen J. Roberts High School.
The complaint states that the teacher and the student had kiss and that the teacher allowed him to touch her breasts. Furthermore, the student also stayed the night at her house, sleeping in the same bed as her, and they discussed having oral sex.
via Daily Times:
According to the criminal complaint against Bonkoski, 38, of Stowe, the teacher had allowed the student to touch her breasts, and kissed him multiple times in her car. She also spoke with him about oral sex, although they never reached that level of intimacy, and let him sleep over at her house, in her bed. The student, who was a student in Bonkoski’s class his freshman year, was not named in the complaint.
The school district learned of the criminal charges Friday, according to an announcement emailed to the community from Acting Superintendent Anthony Costello.
“The school district has fully cooperated with the investigations conducted by those agencies regarding the allegations, and will continue to do so throughout the criminal prosecution of this matter,” Costello wrote.
Bonkoski was asked to resign her position at Owen J. Roberts High School, and complied. “Upon learning of the filing of these charges, the school district asked for, and received, Bonkoski’s immediate resignation from her employment as a teacher,” Costello wrote.
Bonkoski released on $80,000 unsecured bail, pending a scheduled August 17 preliminary hearing in South Coventry district court.
The case is currently under investigation and anyone with information about this incident is being asked to contact the county detectives at 610-344-6866.
