Wisconsin teacher held for sex with 16-year-old foster son after suspicious husband secretly records encounter
RHINELANDER, WISCONSIN: A Wisconsin middle school teacher is facing child sex crime charges after it was alleged that she had sexual relations with her foster son, who also used to be her student. Stephanie Pudlowski, an eighth-grade English language arts teacher with the Rhinelander School District, was arrested after her husband secretly recorded her sleeping with the victim and submitted the evidence to the police, according to the Daily Star.
One of the audio clips reportedly confirmed that she had sex with the boy, a 16-year-old who she is believed to have met him at James Williams Middle School several years ago, before taking him in as a foster child last year. The husband is said to have set up the cameras after Pudlowski, 38, kept shutting herself in his room, with police paperwork confirming that an audio recorder had been placed in the basement where it was located.
During questioning, she admitted to having sexual relations with the victim and on Monday, May 18, Oneida County District Attorney Michael Schiek filed charges of sexual contact with a child age 16 or older and sexual assault of a child against her at the circuit court. She has also been accused of causing mental harm to a child.
Oneida County Circuit Judge Michael Bloom set a $2,000 signature bond for Pudlowski and scheduled next hearing for June 15. Her husband also filed for divorce on the same day, according to online court records.
She tendered her resignation from her teaching job at James Williams Middle School following her arrest, confirmed Northwoods River News. The school district subsequently sent out a message to parents of students addressing the situation and said there would be no interruption to activities.
"Today, I have some unfortunate and sad news to share. On Friday May 15, 2020 one of our teachers, Stephanie Pudlowski, was taken into custody on sexual misconduct of a minor in her care. None of our middle school students were involved. Ms. Pudlowski has submitted her letter of resignation to the school district, effective immediately," the statement read.
"Mrs. Higgins, our other English Language Arts teacher, will be corresponding with all 8th grade students in assigning, collecting and grading their work via google classroom as usual. There will be no interruption in your 8th grade child's learning. An investigation into the charges against Ms. Pudlowski are ongoing. All questions are to be directed to the Oneida County Sheriff's Department."
Pudlowski's arrest comes just days after MEA WorldWide (MEAWW) reported that 28-year-old Brittany Zamora, an Arizona high school teacher who hit national headlines for sending sexually explicit messages to her 13-year-old student and having sex with him multiple times, may have been grooming another student as well.
Zamora, formerly a teacher at Las Brisas Academy Elementary School in Liberty Elementary School District, had first been arrested in March 2018 after starting an affair with the victim via an online instruction app called 'Class Craft.'
According to documents obtained by the Arizona Republic, Zamora may have been grooming another potential victim as well. The mother of a male friend of the victim told police the teacher promised to send her son naked pictures over the summer. During class, she allegedly asked the friend whether he was circumcised. When he didn't understand the question, she is said to have shown him pictures of genitalia on her phone.
She is currently serving a 20-year sentence and recently filed for divorce from her husband Daniel Zamora, stating that her relationship with him has been "broken beyond repair" without "hope of reconciliation."