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, were indicted in Texas on dozens of charges related to the alleged sexual abuse of a 5-year-old girl

• Authorities said Jones, a former substitute teacher, allegedly abused the child at Dondlinger’s direction and sent videos to him via Snapchat

• Following the indictments, both suspects’ bonds were dramatically increased, with Jones’ set at $3.84 million and Dondlinger’s at $5 million

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

Madison Paige Jones, 30, was indicted on March 4 on 19 counts, including aggravated sexual assault of a child, sexual contact with a child and possession with intent to promote child pornography, according to public court records from Ellis County.

Zackery Dondlinger, 37, was indicted on March 4 on 20 nearly identical counts, per the public court records.

The indictment means a grand jury found that there was sufficient evidence against both Jones and Dondlinger for the case to proceed to trial.

Attorneys for both Dondlinger and Jones did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.

Authorities arrested Jones on Dec. 19, 2025, per a media release from the Winkler County Sheriff’s Office (WCSO). Detectives soon identified Dondlinger as a second suspect and arrested him several days later at the oil rig where he was employed on Dec. 23, 2025.

Authorities said Jones was reportedly a substitute teacher, and she and Mr. Dondlinger were in a romantic relationship, per the release.

Authorities initially received information that the alleged abuse was occurring from a woman who identified herself as a friend of Jones, according to court documents obtained by NewsChannel10.

The woman told police that she was concerned about Dondlinger’s behavior toward a 5-year-old child in Jones’ home, per the documents, according to the outlet.

It is not immediately clear whether the child was a relative of Jones.

Police confronted Jones, who allegedly confessed to sexually abusing the 5-year-old at Dondlinger’s direction. Jones additionally stated that Dondlinger was having sexual fantasies about the child, per the documents obtained by NewsChannel10.

Affidavits obtained by the outlet state that Jones sent videos of alleged sexual acts to Dondlinger via Snapchat to satisfy his sexual needs. The documents also stated that police found text messages between Jones and Dondlinger that confirmed her statements, per NewsChannel10.

The Midlothian Police Department did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.

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

A spokesperson for Midlothian ISD confirmed that Jones worked for the district, but said she had only worked four days in the past year in a statement to Fox 4 News.

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The spokesperson further stated that Jones is no longer employed by the district, and that the alleged crimes did not appear to have occurred at their schools or involved one of their students.

Midlothian ISD did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.

After the recent indictments, Jones’ bond was increased from $90,000 to $3,840,000, and Dondlinger’s bond was increased from $200,000 to $5,000,000, according to News 4 San Antonio.

If you or someone you know has been a victim of sexual abuse, text “STRENGTH” to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 to be connected to a certified crisis counselor.

If you suspect child abuse, call 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 available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.

Read the original article on People