A 53-year-old former substitute teacher in Delaware County has been arrested on a charge of unlawful sexual conduct with a minor after a now-adult man told police the two had sex roughly a decade ago when he was her student. The allegation, that the relationship began when the victim was between 12 and 14 years old, has revived scrutiny of complaints reportedly made years earlier. The accused is due back in court next Thursday.
Court paperwork and police records reviewed in local reporting state the victim came forward in January and alleges encounters in and around 2015, including meetings in parks, a construction site and a wooded area. Investigators say cellphone records show more than 8,000 text messages between the pair. The woman, identified in the documents as Alyson Bergandine, was arrested Tuesday, posted bond and was released from the Delaware County Jail Wednesday, according to records described by MyFOX28 Columbus.
What the law says
Ohio law treats sexual conduct between adults and minors differently when the adult holds a position of authority, and unlawful sexual conduct with a minor carries graded felony penalties depending on age differences and prior convictions. The statute sets out the offense and penalty ranges, for example, it can be a third‑degree felony when the offender is ten or more years older than the victim, and is codified at Ohio Revised Code §2907.04.
District response and licensing
The court documents say Delaware Police and Delaware City Schools investigated Bergandine after multiple complaints at the time. She was removed as a substitute, and the state later revoked her teaching license. Those actions and the timeline of the allegations are noted in the records reviewed by MyFOX28 Columbus, which reports the victim said the two initially connected through a gaming app chat before exchanging phone numbers.
Background on the accused
Public court records show Bergandine has had prior encounters with the local justice system. A 2019 municipal complaint related to city income taxes resulted in a jury finding and an appeal that was decided by the Ohio Court of Appeals in 2020. That earlier opinion and filings lay out procedural history unrelated to the current allegations, according to an Ohio Court of Appeals opinion.
Next steps
Bergandine is scheduled to appear next Thursday in Delaware Municipal Court, where prosecutors will have the opportunity to present formal charges and any supporting evidence. The case remains under investigation, and additional filings or statements from the district or law enforcement could follow as the matter proceeds.
