A Texas grand jury has brought charges against a former substitute teacher and her partner, accusing them of numerous offenses linked to the suspected sexual abuse of a five-year-old girl.
On March 4, 2026, Madison Paige Jones, aged 30, was indicted on 19 counts, which include aggravated sexual assault of a child, sexual contact with a minor, and intent to promote child pornography, as recorded by the Ellis County court.
Her boyfriend, 37-year-old Zackery Dondlinger, is facing 20 similar charges.
The indictments suggest that the grand jury believed there was sufficient evidence for the case to proceed to trial.
The investigation was initiated on December 17, 2026, when the Midlothian police were alerted to a potential sexual assault involving a child.
Authorities reported that a friend of Jones tipped them off after indicating that Jones had stated she recorded sexual acts involving the child and sent these videos to Dondlinger.
In an affidavit, it was noted, “Madison admitted she sent the videos to her boyfriend, Zackery, on Snapchat,” as cited by People.
According to court documents referenced by News Channel 10, Jones allegedly informed investigators that she committed the abuse at Dondlinger’s behest and shared the recordings with him.
Investigators mentioned they also found text messages between the two that seemed to corroborate these allegations.
Jones was arrested on December 19, 2025, after the investigation unfolded.
Authorities subsequently identified Dondlinger as an additional suspect, leading to his arrest on December 23 at his workplace on an oil rig.
Midlothian Assistant Police Chief Scott Brown clarified that the allegations do not pertain to Jones’ role within the educational system.
“There was an allegation made that she was involved in an offense against a child, and a boyfriend was involved as well,” Brown stated to PEOPLE. “She was employed in our local school district, and this has no connection with her job as a teacher.”
Jones had previously worked as a substitute teacher in the Midlothian Independent School District, but officials noted she had only served for four days in the past year and is no longer on the payroll.
Following the indictments, Jones’ bail was set at $3.84 million, while Dondlinger’s was raised to $5 million, as reported by KVII.
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