Pair Faces Multiple Child Sex Crime Charges in Texas
A former substitute teacher in Texas, along with her boyfriend, is now facing a staggering total of 38 child sex crime charges. The combined bail for the two has been set at around $9 million.
Madison Page Jones, who previously worked in the Midlothian Independent School District, and her partner, Zachary Dondlinger, were arrested back in December. This followed an investigation prompted by allegations involving a five-year-old child living at Jones’ residence.
Initially, Jones had bail set at $90,000, while Dondlinger’s was at $250,000. However, both amounts rose sharply after more charges were added this month.
Jones faces serious charges: 13 counts of aggravated sexual assault of a child, one count of possessing child pornography, two counts of indecency with a child through sexual contact, and three counts involving indecent exposure.
Dondlinger is looking at one count of sexual conduct with a child under 14, 13 counts of aggravated sexual assault, two counts of indecency with sexual contact, three counts of indecency with exposure, and an additional felony warrant.
His bail is currently set at $5 million, while Jones’ bond stands at $3.8 million.
According to reports from NewsChannel 10 in Amarillo, court documents revealed that police were alerted to potential issues at Jones’ home on December 17, just two days before her arrest.
A friend of Jones’ expressed concern to officers regarding Dondlinger’s behavior towards the young child. At that time, they were in a relationship.
Investigators claim that Jones admitted Dondlinger directed her to carry out the sexual assault and that he proceeded to do so. There are even claims that Jones described the acts in detail to police and mentioned that Dondlinger filmed the abuse, sharing it via Snapchat.
As the investigation continued, authorities seized Jones’ iPhone while executing a search warrant. Evidence on her phone supposedly backed her statement that she acted under Dondlinger’s direction. They also confiscated an iPad from Jones and two iPhones from Dondlinger at the time of his arrest.
The timeline of events began with Jones’ first arrest on December 19, following a report concerning possible sexual assault. Dondlinger was later identified as an accomplice and was arrested on December 23, facing charges of sexual battery by a child.
Midlothian police previously confirmed that both individuals were in a relationship at the time of the incidents. The Midlothian Independent School District stated that Jones is no longer employed there and acknowledged she had served as a substitute teacher on four occasions in the past year. Officials also noted there is currently no information suggesting that the allegations are linked to her work or occurred on school grounds.
