Former Rare Staff
A former Pennsylvania high school teacher who is facing charges after becoming “obsessed” with a student was re-arrested on Tuesday after police discovered the full extent of their relationship.
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Melissa Bonkoski, 38, had been charged with a plethora of felonies for her alleged relationship with a 16-year-old male student, which police believed never progressed past kissing and touching. However, follow-up interviews with both Bonkoski and the victim revealed that they had sex on at least one occasion after they both admitted it.
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Bonkoski was initially charged with eight felonies, including sexual assault and unlawful contact with a minor, and was released from jail after posting her $80,000 bail. She was subsequently fired from her position at Owens J. Roberts High School and was arrested again in light of the new information.
Detectives said Bonkoski tried to hide the relationship by using a burner phone, a move that she called “smart” because she thought they couldn’t trace it to her. After reportedly becoming “obsessed” with the student, she would use the phone to bombard him with text messages, once telling him, “Whatever you do, please don’t shut me out. Not now. I’m begging you.”
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