A former middle school teacher in New Jersey was arrested after being accused of raping a student.
Gloucester County Prosecutor Andrew B. Johns confirmed that Ashley Fisler has been charged with six counts of first-degree sexual assault of a minor, one count of second-degree endangering the welfare of a child and one count of second-degree official misconduct, according to FOX 29.
Fisler, 36, was arrested after the victim reported the allegations to police on January 23. The victim, who is now an adult, said that they were sexually assaulted by Fisler while they were a student in her class at Orchard Valley Middle School.
The Gloucester County Prosecutor’s Office Special Victims and High-Tech Crimes Units worked with the Washington Township Police Department amid the investigation into the claims.
“The victim described multiple sexual encounters occurring in 2021 in Fisler’s vehicle and in her classroom,” court documents filed in the case read, per FOX 29.
Investigators said they obtained text messages between Fisler and the victim, which confirmed the sexual nature of their relationship.
The superintendent of Orchard Valley Middle School confirmed that Fisler is no longer employed by the district, adding that the district takes the safety and well-being of its students seriously. Fisler stopped working at the school in April 2023 and appears to not currently be employed by any other schools.
Fisler is currently being held in the Salem County Jail, and her first court hearing is scheduled to take place on Friday, March 27.
Each first-degree charge she is facing carries a maximum of 20 years in prison, while she could face a maximum of 10 years in prison for each second-degree charge.
It is not currently clear if Fisler has entered a plea or retained legal representation following her arrest. The Gloucester County Prosecutor’s Office did not immediately respond to Us Weekly’s request for comment regarding the case.
Following Fisler’s arrest, parents in the area expressed feeling upset by the news.
“Scary, you know you hear about it in Florida or somewhere. This is too close to us, literally right across the street,” Eric Sebastian, a parent of Orchard Valley Middle School students, told Fox 29.
Olivia Axelrod, who lives across the street from the school, said that the students are just “vulnerable kids” who can be taken advantage of by “horrible, trusted adults.”
“Honestly, it’s unbelievable to even think that could happen and also nobody saw it, you know. It’s horrible,” she added.
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