Substitute Teacher and Her Boyfriend Indicted After They Allegedly Sexually Abused Girl, 5, Multiple Times

NEED TO KNOW

• Madison Paige Jones, 30, and Zackery Dondlinger, 37, have been indicted in Texas on dozens of costs associated to the alleged sexual abuse of a 5-year-old woman

• Authorities stated Jones, a former substitute instructor, allegedly abused the kid at Dondlinger’s route and despatched movies to him through Snapchat

• Following the indictments, each suspects’ bonds have been dramatically elevated, with Jones’ set at $3.84 million and Dondlinger’s at $5 million

A substitute instructor and her boyfriend have been indicted for dozens of child sex crimes involving a 5-year-old woman in Texas.

Madison Paige Jones, 30, was indicted on March 4 on 19 counts, together with aggravated sexual assault of a kid, sexual contact with a toddler and possession with intent to advertise baby pornography, in line with public court records from Ellis County.

Zackery Dondlinger, 37, was indicted on March 4 on 20 almost an identical counts, per the general public courtroom information.

The indictment means a grand jury discovered that there was ample proof towards each Jones and Dondlinger for the case to proceed to trial.

Attorneys for each Dondlinger and Jones didn’t instantly reply to PEOPLE’s request for remark.

Authorities arrested Jones on Dec. 19, 2025, per a media release from the Winkler County Sheriff’s Office (WCSO). Detectives quickly recognized Dondlinger as a second suspect and arrested him a number of days later on the oil rig the place he was employed on Dec. 23, 2025.

Authorities stated Jones was reportedly a substitute instructor, and she and Mr. Dondlinger have been in a romantic relationship, per the discharge.

Authorities initially obtained data that the alleged abuse was occurring from a lady who recognized herself as a pal of Jones, in line with courtroom paperwork obtained by NewsChannel10.

The girl instructed police that she was involved about Dondlinger’s conduct towards a 5-year-old baby in Jones’ residence, per the paperwork, in line with the outlet.

It will not be instantly clear whether or not the kid was a relative of Jones.

Police confronted Jones, who allegedly confessed to sexually abusing the 5-year-old at Dondlinger’s handle. Jones moreover said that Dondlinger was having sexual fantasies in regards to the baby, per the paperwork obtained by NewsChannel10.

Affidavits obtained by the outlet state that Jones despatched movies of alleged sexual acts to Dondlinger through Snapchat to fulfill his sexual wants. The paperwork additionally said that police discovered textual content messages between Jones and Dondlinger that confirmed their statements, per NewsChannel10.

The Midlothian Police Department didn’t instantly reply to PEOPLE’s request for remark.

Jones was a former substitute instructor for the Midlothian Independent School District (Midlothian ISD), per NewsChannel10 and Fox 4 News.

A spokesperson for Midlothian ISD confirmed that Jones labored for the district, however stated she had solely labored 4 days prior to now yr in an announcement to Fox 4 News.

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The spokesperson additional said that Jones is not employed by the district, and that the alleged crimes didn’t seem to have occurred at their faculties or concerned one in all their college students.

Midlothian ISD didn’t instantly reply to PEOPLE’s request for remark.

After the current indictments, Jones’ bond was elevated from $90,000 to $3,840,000, and Dondlinger’s bond was elevated from $200,000 to $5,000,000, in line with News 4 San Antonio.

If you or somebody you understand has been a sufferer of sexual abuse, textual content “STRENGTH” to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 to be related to a licensed disaster counselor.

If you watched baby abuse, name the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is offered 24/7 in additional than 170 languages.

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