Miami Standard (Monmouth County, NJ) – A former special education teacher from Freehold Intermediate School has been charged with seven counts of sexual offenses involving an eighth-grade student in her class, according to Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond S. Santiago on Tuesday.

Allison Havemann-Niedrach, 44, from Jackson, faced charges last summer following a criminal investigation that revealed thousands of text messages exchanged with a 15-year-old male victim. This included photos and videos that substantiated the sexual nature of their relationship, as stated by the Prosecutor’s Office.

During a detention hearing in July, Assistant Prosecutor Danielle Zanzuccki, who leads the Special Victims Bureau and oversees the case, stated that Havemann-Niedrach exhibited a “obsession” with the teenager.

Concerns were raised by staff at Freehold Intermediate, leading to an investigation after it was noted that Havemann-Niedrach was frequently seen bringing food to a student and sharing lunch with him in a classroom, according to Zanzuccki.

A fellow educator observed her caressing the victim’s back and neck, as well as touching his leg, characterizing the colleague’s behavior towards the eighth-grader as flirtatious, Zanzuccki reported.

In early June, a vice principal suggested that the police should be alerted regarding their concerns, according to the assistant prosecutor.

The mother of the student expressed her worries to investigators regarding her son’s well-being. The assistant prosecutor stated that his sister observed him sitting in the teacher’s car and noted that he frequently used his phone late into the night.

Authorities would also discover that the victim had shared with a friend that he was in a relationship with a teacher, Zanzuccki stated.

The boy, when questioned, refuted any claims of a relationship with Havemann-Niedrach. Zanzuccki stated that he was in a relationship with the teacher’s daughter.

However, following his submission of the phone to the authorities, over 25,000 text messages exchanged between the teacher and the student were retrieved, she stated.

Shortly thereafter, the mother of the boy reached out to the investigators to reveal that her son had confessed to her about his involvement in a sexual relationship with Havemann-Niedrach, according to the assistant prosecutor.

At that moment, worries regarding the boy’s mental well-being led to his admission to a hospital for assessment, she stated.

According to the victim, the sexual relationship commenced in January 2024, occurring at the teacher’s residence and various hotels. Investigators confirmed these details through cell phone data and financial records, as stated by Zanzuccki.

She stated that an analysis of their text messages revealed images of a sexual nature and a video of them participating in sexual activities.

Havemann-Niedrach was taken into custody on June 26. A grand jury in Freehold has issued an indictment that encompasses multiple serious charges, including first-degree aggravated sexual assault and first-degree endangering the welfare of a child through the creation of child sexual abuse materials. Additionally, the indictment includes two counts of second-degree endangering the welfare of a child, second-degree official misconduct, second-degree sexual assault, and third-degree endangering the welfare of a child, as reported by the Prosecutor’s Office.

In July, Havemann-Niedrach was freed from the Monmouth County Jail and assigned to home detention. She was instructed to refrain from any interaction with minors, aside from her own two children, and was barred from using computers to eliminate any chance of communication with the victim.

The inquiry was conducted by the Special Victims Bureau in collaboration with the Prosecutor’s Office and the Freehold Police Department.

Source: Freehold Intermediate School teacher indicted on seven counts of sex with student