A former substitute teacher who confessed to sexually assaulting an 11-year-old boy and claimed the child initiated the encounter was sentenced to 10 years in prison on Thursday.

Alley Bardfield, 34, a substitute at Decatur Public Schools in Illinois, was arrested at her Mt. Zion home in April 2024 after the young victim assisted police with a sting operation.

The mother of three has confessed to predatory criminal sexual assault of a child, acknowledging that she enticed the sixth-grader to her house for ‘play dates’ before assaulting him.

The crime surfaced last year when the boy’s mother noticed behavior changes in her son following an overnight visit to Bardfield’s home from March 29 to March 30.

Upon checking her son’s phone, the concerned mother discovered text messages and photos of Bardfield and her son, including one where they were making an obscene gesture at the camera.

She also discovered that the teacher had sent her son about $700 over the course of several months.

“[She] confronted her child about this situation, and he disclosed that he had unprotected sexual intercourse with Alley Bardfield on the night of March 29,” stated an arrest affidavit from the Mt. Zion Police.

The mother then took her child to HSHS St John’s Hospital, where staff administered a rape kit.

When police then questioned the boy, he told them Bardfield took him to her bedroom, where they kissed and she took off both of their clothes.

They then had sex on her bed, which she had shared with her husband Casey Newton Bardfield, a construction worker, the boy said.

It remains unclear why the boy was staying at his teacher’s house while her family was away. 

But in the aftermath, the boy said he and Bardfield exchanged nude photos on Snapchat. 

After hearing what had happened, cops devised a plan with the boy and his mother to get Bardfield to incriminate herself in text messages and recorded calls with him.

As part of the scheme, the boy texted the substitute that he was going out of town, but he had hoped to see her again when he came back. 

‘I love you and I miss you, Alley. When I come back I’ll see if I can come over,’ he wrote.

Bardfield allegedly replied: ‘You’re always welcome. I love and miss you too.’ 

Officers also obtained a court order for a wiretap and had the boy call Bardfield later that day, when she told him ‘her tubes are tied and that she cannot get pregnant’.

‘The victim asked Alley if he came over this weekend… if they could “do it again”. Alley responded “Yes”,’ the affidavit continued.

Police arrested Bardfield at her house hours later, with body camera footage showing her appearing shocked as officers arrived at her door and told her she was being taken into custody.

She then allegedly admitted to the crime, but claimed the boy had ‘made sexual advances toward her.’  

Bardfield also said she gave him money via CashApp and to exchanging naked photographs on Snapchat with the boy, according to police. 

Decatur Public Schools fired Bardfield shortly after the allegations were aired, and she pleaded guilty as part of a deal 16 months later. 

Negotiations between prosecution and defense in the aftermath resulted in prosecutors asking for a 40 year sentence, but the exact length of her prison stay was ultimately up to Judge Rodney Forbess to decide. 

At the hearing on Thursday, the judge heard statements from the boy’s father, who said his son has not been the same since he was sexually assaulted.

Prosecutors also noted that the boy was permanently traumatized by the experience, and said Bardfield’s actions also affected his family, arguing she ‘betrayed all mothers,’ WCIA reports.

The former teacher also delivered remarks, in which she admitted her wrongdoing and expressed her desire to go back in time and not make the same error.

She noted that she is a mom of three – with one child the same age as the victim – and because of her actions, she lost her relationship with her husband and children, as well as her home. 

Bardfield’s defense, presenting mitigating factors, included letters and statements from her family and friends asking the judge for an eight-year sentence, arguing that the mother has taken responsibility for her actions, has no prior criminal history and has mental health issues that she has attended counseling for.

After hearing the arguments, Judge Forbes sentenced Bardfield to 10 years in prison – with credit for time spent in custody – about 18 months – and half credit for time she has spent in Macon County Jail, about another 10 months.

She will also be recommended for mental health treatment while in prison, according to WICS. 

Once out of prison, Bardfield will be on parole for anywhere from three years to life and will be required to register as a sex offender for life. 

In deciding the sentence, Judge Forbes said he was mindful that this was Bardfield’s first offense of any kind, the Herald & Review reports. 

He went on to say he believed the defendant, who sobbed throughout the proceedings and said she was sorry, had rehabilitative potential.

But the decision angered the child’s family, who got up and immediately left the court room following the sentence.

They could then be heard crying out ‘it’s a joke’ and other protests as they walked away.

Macon County State’s Attorney Diane Couri also said ‘wholeheartedly’ stands by her recommendation for 40 years behind bars.

‘The Macon County State’s Attorneys Office takes crimes against children very seriously and, as such, recommended a sentence appropriate to the offense,’ she said in a statement.

‘A victim of sex offenses carries the burden of the trauma for the rest of their lives,’ Couri continued. ‘As the defendant was in a position of trust as a substitute teacher, the level of egregiousness of this offense requires a substantial sentence.’ 

She concluded by saying her office will ‘continue to seek just sentences in cases where the victims are the most vulnerable.’