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Crime Stories with Nancy Grace

Teacher Accused of Sexually Abusing Student Must Move Further from His House | Crime Alert 07.04.25

Crime Stories with Nancy Grace

iHeartPodcasts and CrimeOnline

True Crime, News

3.97.6K Ratings

🗓️ 4 July 2025

⏱️ 6 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Christina Formella, facing 55 charges on accusations she sexually abused a student for more than a year, cannot remain within her home, located less than a mile from the victim's workplace. 

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Transcript

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0:00.0

This is an I-Heart podcast.

0:04.5

Crime Alert, hourly update. Breaking Crime News now.

0:08.4

I'm Sidney Sumner.

0:09.8

On Wednesday, an Illinois judge in DuPage County denied former teacher Christina Formella's request

0:15.4

to decrease the distance she's required to maintain from the student she's accused of sexually abusing.

0:22.7

Formella 30 faces 55 charges, including criminal sexual assault, aggravated criminal sexual abuse,

0:28.2

indecent solicitation of a child, and grooming. Prosecutors say she engaged in sexual relations

0:33.8

with the student over 50 times, with at least 45 incidents occurring at Downers Grove

0:39.2

South High School, where she worked as a special education teacher. Last month, Judge Mia McPherson

0:44.9

denied the prosecution's request to keep Formella behind bars until trial. However, the judge did

0:50.6

impose several conditions for her release, including GPS monitoring, which prevents

0:55.0

Vermela from coming within 5,000 feet of the alleged victim's school, residence, or place of

1:00.1

employment. Formella's defense attorney, Todd Pugh, requested the distance be reduced to 2,500 feet,

1:06.6

arguing that Formella's home falls within the exclusionary zone. Since June, Formella has been

1:11.9

living at her parents' $560,000 home on a golf course, which is reportedly within a mile

1:17.6

of where the teen works. McPherson denied the defense's request and said she's keeping

1:22.4

the teen's protection in mind. Body cam captured Formella's clear confusion as she was arrested on March 16th

1:29.0

in the driveway of the home she shared with her husband as they returned from running errands

1:33.0

together. Am I in trouble? Like, I'm so lost right now. I'm... Right now, you're making things

1:38.8

court investigation and we're bringing you into a cliff the park. And once you get there,

1:43.2

they're going to fill you in and everything. Formella then broke down in tears after hearing the charges against her.

1:48.0

Oh, look at it.

...

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