A Michigan judge has ordered former special education teacher Heather Winfield (seen sobbing in her mugshot), 38, to stand trial on multiple charges, including criminal sexual conduct with a child younger than 13
A married special education teacher from Michigan has been ordered to stand trial after her former student accused her of sexually assaulting him more than 100 times, beginning when he was just 11 years old.
Heather Winfield, 38, was arrested in January following a lengthy investigation that began back in 2016 when she was working as a teacher at Thunder Bay Junior High School in Alpena.
Winfield has been charged with two counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct with a child younger than 13 years old; criminal sexual conduct during the commission of a felony; criminal sexual conduct with a child aged 13 to 15 years old; second-degree criminal sexual conduct with a child younger than 13 years old; accosting a minor for immoral purposes, and using a computer to commit a crime.
If convicted of the charges against her, Winfield could face up to life in prison.
During three days of preliminary hearings last week, Winfield’s accuser, who is now 14 years old, testified that the abuse started when he was 11 and went on to include more than 100 sexual encounters in hotel rooms around Alpena over the course of three years, reported Alpena News.
Winfield, right, is pictured with her attorney on their way to a preliminary hearing last week
Winfield was arrested in January following an investigation that began back in 2016 when she was working as a teacher at Thunder Bay Junior High School in Alpena
Winfield is accused of having sex with a male student more than 100 times, beginning when he was just 11 years old
The alleged victim, who reportedly has been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, told the court last week that Winfield showered him with gifts, including expensive tennis shoes, bikes and fishing gear, took him along on her family vacations to Florida and Tennessee, and eventually seduced him in 2016.
The teenager said from the stand that his first sexual encounter with Winfield took place on July 2 of that year in a trailer located in the yard of the teacher’s home.
Dozens more trysts followed, according to the accuser, including in hotels and at campsites.
‘We would have what she called quickies all over the house and it could happen at any time of the day,’ he said. ‘We were really sneaky about it.’
The boy also testified that he has in his possession nude photos depicting Winfield and a video showing one of their sexual escapades.
Winfield is married and has two daughters and a son (pictured with her family last month)
The allegations against the special education teacher first came to light after the victim’s ex-girlfriend, then aged 12, discovered on his phone Facebook messages he and the teacher had allegedly exchanged and reached out to the Michigan State Police, sparking an investigation.
Winfield’s defense attorney sought to discredit her underage accuser and asked the judge to throw out the case after pointing out that the boy had previously claimed that he and his former teacher had sex 1,000 times, but he later changed the number to 100.
Defense attorney Matt Wojda argued that Winfield and her husband had sought to help the troubled child, and at one time even considered adopting him, but that plan went out the window because the boy turned violent and aggressive.
The teacher’s lawyer also questioned the provenance of the photos and video evidence, accusing the alleged victim of hacking into Winfdield’s phone, to which he had the password.
Winfield’s defense attorney had sought to discredit her underage accuser by pointing out that the boy had previously claimed that he and his former teacher had sex 1,000 times
The court also heard from Michigan State Police Trooper Robert Mitchell, the lead investigator on the case, who testified that police collected evidence that included hotel receipts and Winfield’s bank and credit card statements for hotel rooms booked online.
On Friday, Judge Thomas LaCross ruled there is enough evidence against Winfield for the case to proceed to trial.
Winfield, who has maintained her innocence, resigned from Thunder Bay Junior High School in the fall of 2016, three years after her hiring. so far, she has retained her teaching license.