Christina Formella, facing 55 charges on accusations she sexually abused a student for more than a year, cannot remain within her home, located less than a mile from the victim's workplace.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Crime al Art, hourly update, breaking crime news Now. I'm
Sidney Sumner. On Wednesday, an Illinois judge in DuPage County
denied former teacher Christina Formella's request to decrease the distance
she's required to maintain from the student she's accused of
sexually abusing. Formela, thirty, faces fifty five charges, including criminal
(00:20):
sexual assault, aggravated criminal sexual abuse, in decent solicitation of
a child, and grooming. Prosecutors say she engaged in sexual
relations with the student over fifty times, with at least
forty five incidents occurring at Downers Grove South High School,
where she worked as a special education teacher. Last month,
Judge Mia McPherson denied the prosecution's request to keep Formla
(00:43):
behind bars until trial. However, the judge did impose several
conditions for her release, including GPS monitoring, which prevents Formella
from coming within five thousand feet of the alleged victim's school,
residence or place of employment. Formela's defense attorney, Todd Pugh,
requested the distance be reduced to twenty five hundred feet,
arguing that Formla's home falls within the exclusionary zone. Since June,
(01:06):
Formila has been living at her parents five hundred and
sixty thousand dollars home on a golf course, which is
reportedly within a mile of where the teen works. McPherson
denied the defense's request and said she's keeping the teen's
protection in mind. Body Can captured Formella's clear confusion as
she was arrested on March sixteenth in the driveway of
the home she shared with her husband as they returned
(01:27):
from running errands together. Am I in trouble, like I'm
so lost right now? I'm right now for investigation, bringing
in that Fifi and once you get this. Formella then
broke down in tears after hearing the charges against her.
(01:50):
What police said the sexual assault began during a January
twenty twenty three tutoring session inside a classroom with the
defendant and the fifteen year old student. The abuse reportedly
continued for more than a year. The student ultimately ended
(02:11):
the relationship in September twenty twenty four. Formila is also
accused of sending texts that appeared grooming in nature.
Speaker 2 (02:18):
I love you so much, baby. I love you so
so much, mama. Even though this morning was short, it
was perfect, I know, baby. It was perfect, baby, so perfect.
I love having sex with you. I know, baby, I
love it so much. It feels so good, it's so passionate,
it's so intimate, it's so perfect.
Speaker 1 (02:34):
Formla's husband, Michael, accompanied her to the hearing and appeared
to be supportive, holding her hand and smiling at her
as they waited for the hearing to begin. Formela has
pleaded not guilty to the charges. She's due back in
court on August fourth. More crime and justice news After this,
a Florida teen was arrested after he threatened to shoot
up a Polk County McDonald's over a botched order. Dayton Schaeffer, eighteen,
(02:59):
told police when he he was arrested that his three
separate calls threatening to shoot this shit up last week
were just a joke. Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd used
every McDonald's pun in the book announcing the arrest.
Speaker 3 (03:11):
This McNutt didn't get his McNuggets from McDonald's, so he
used his mcphone to make a mcthreat his actual phone number.
So it was a slow mcpitch for us to make
a mcrest. Anyway, he's in the mcjail. Oh, the Polk County.
Speaker 1 (03:31):
Jail employees called police at about one am Wednesday. They
were so concerned they locked up the restaurant until they
gotten all clear from police. Shaeffer admitted to making the
calls because the fast food restaurant didn't put chicken McNuggets
in his five dollars meal. He was charged with making
a false report concerning use of a firearm against persons
in misuse of a two way communication device. Judd said
(03:54):
that the manager told Schaffer when he called he'd given
the nuggets if he returned, but Schaeffer responded with more
vulgarities and threats. Schaeffer is being held without bond with
an August fifth court date. An Oklahoma pediatrician is behind
bars after police say she killed her daughter last month
during a Florida vacation. Doctor Neha Gupta is charged with
(04:14):
first degree murder in connection with her daughter, Aria Talaf's death.
Miami Dade Police stated the incident happened June twenty seventh
at an el Portal Airbnb rental. Gupta told police that
Aria drowned while swimming in a pool, but investigators believed
that Gupta intentionally killed the child. Gupta told investigators that
she woke up to a noise at three twenty am,
(04:35):
then discovered a sliding glass door had been opened. She
claimed she went outside and discovered her daughter in the pool.
Gupta called police and said she didn't know how to
swim to retrieve Aria. When first responders arrived at the
rental home, they found the victim unresponsive before performing CPR.
Aria was then rushed to an area hospital, where she
was pronounced dead. An autopsy on June twenty ninth indicated
(04:58):
that Aria had no water in her life, ungs, or stomach,
but had cuts inside her mouth and bruising inside her cheeks.
Doctor said that the injuries were consistent with asphyxiation by smothering.
The child's father and Gupta's former husband, Doctor Sarab Telaffi,
was in Oklahoma at the time. Gupta and Taalafe went
through tumultuous divorce proceedings that lasted two years. A judge
(05:20):
reportedly denied her fight for sole custody. She was also
ordered to pay hefty attorney's fees totaling over seventy nine
thousand dollars. Talafi didn't know that the pair had traveled
out of state. Gupta's defense attorney Richard Cooper said that
the arrest warrant against her was flimsy. In another statement,
Cooper claimed police acted hastily, adding that the toxicology report
(05:42):
had not yet been provided. Gupta traveled back to Oklahoma
after the incident. She is awaiting extradition back to Florida.
For the latest crime and justice breaking news, be sure
to follow the Crime Alert hourly update on your favorite
podcast app with this crime Alert, I'm Sidney Sumner.
Crime al Art, hourly update, breaking crime news Now. I'm
Sidney Sumner. On Wednesday, an Illinois judge in DuPage County
denied former teacher Christina Formella's request to decrease the distance
she's required to maintain from the student she's accused of
sexually abusing. Formela, thirty, faces fifty five charges, including criminal
(00:20):
sexual assault, aggravated criminal sexual abuse, in decent solicitation of
a child, and grooming. Prosecutors say she engaged in sexual
relations with the student over fifty times, with at least
forty five incidents occurring at Downers Grove South High School,
where she worked as a special education teacher. Last month,
Judge Mia McPherson denied the prosecution's request to keep Formla
(00:43):
behind bars until trial. However, the judge did impose several
conditions for her release, including GPS monitoring, which prevents Formella
from coming within five thousand feet of the alleged victim's school,
residence or place of employment. Formela's defense attorney, Todd Pugh,
requested the distance be reduced to twenty five hundred feet,
arguing that Formla's home falls within the exclusionary zone. Since June,
(01:06):
Formila has been living at her parents five hundred and
sixty thousand dollars home on a golf course, which is
reportedly within a mile of where the teen works. McPherson
denied the defense's request and said she's keeping the teen's
protection in mind. Body Can captured Formella's clear confusion as
she was arrested on March sixteenth in the driveway of
the home she shared with her husband as they returned
(01:27):
from running errands together. Am I in trouble, like I'm
so lost right now? I'm right now for investigation, bringing
in that Fifi and once you get this. Formella then
broke down in tears after hearing the charges against her.
(01:50):
What police said the sexual assault began during a January
twenty twenty three tutoring session inside a classroom with the
defendant and the fifteen year old student. The abuse reportedly
continued for more than a year. The student ultimately ended
(02:11):
the relationship in September twenty twenty four. Formila is also
accused of sending texts that appeared grooming in nature.
Speaker 2 (02:18):
I love you so much, baby. I love you so
so much, mama. Even though this morning was short, it
was perfect, I know, baby. It was perfect, baby, so perfect.
I love having sex with you. I know, baby, I
love it so much. It feels so good, it's so passionate,
it's so intimate, it's so perfect.
Speaker 1 (02:34):
Formla's husband, Michael, accompanied her to the hearing and appeared
to be supportive, holding her hand and smiling at her
as they waited for the hearing to begin. Formela has
pleaded not guilty to the charges. She's due back in
court on August fourth. More crime and justice news After this,
a Florida teen was arrested after he threatened to shoot
up a Polk County McDonald's over a botched order. Dayton Schaeffer, eighteen,
(02:59):
told police when he he was arrested that his three
separate calls threatening to shoot this shit up last week
were just a joke. Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd used
every McDonald's pun in the book announcing the arrest.
Speaker 3 (03:11):
This McNutt didn't get his McNuggets from McDonald's, so he
used his mcphone to make a mcthreat his actual phone number.
So it was a slow mcpitch for us to make
a mcrest. Anyway, he's in the mcjail. Oh, the Polk County.
Speaker 1 (03:31):
Jail employees called police at about one am Wednesday. They
were so concerned they locked up the restaurant until they
gotten all clear from police. Shaeffer admitted to making the
calls because the fast food restaurant didn't put chicken McNuggets
in his five dollars meal. He was charged with making
a false report concerning use of a firearm against persons
in misuse of a two way communication device. Judd said
(03:54):
that the manager told Schaffer when he called he'd given
the nuggets if he returned, but Schaeffer responded with more
vulgarities and threats. Schaeffer is being held without bond with
an August fifth court date. An Oklahoma pediatrician is behind
bars after police say she killed her daughter last month
during a Florida vacation. Doctor Neha Gupta is charged with
(04:14):
first degree murder in connection with her daughter, Aria Talaf's death.
Miami Dade Police stated the incident happened June twenty seventh
at an el Portal Airbnb rental. Gupta told police that
Aria drowned while swimming in a pool, but investigators believed
that Gupta intentionally killed the child. Gupta told investigators that
she woke up to a noise at three twenty am,
(04:35):
then discovered a sliding glass door had been opened. She
claimed she went outside and discovered her daughter in the pool.
Gupta called police and said she didn't know how to
swim to retrieve Aria. When first responders arrived at the
rental home, they found the victim unresponsive before performing CPR.
Aria was then rushed to an area hospital, where she
was pronounced dead. An autopsy on June twenty ninth indicated
(04:58):
that Aria had no water in her life, ungs, or stomach,
but had cuts inside her mouth and bruising inside her cheeks.
Doctor said that the injuries were consistent with asphyxiation by smothering.
The child's father and Gupta's former husband, Doctor Sarab Telaffi,
was in Oklahoma at the time. Gupta and Taalafe went
through tumultuous divorce proceedings that lasted two years. A judge
(05:20):
reportedly denied her fight for sole custody. She was also
ordered to pay hefty attorney's fees totaling over seventy nine
thousand dollars. Talafi didn't know that the pair had traveled
out of state. Gupta's defense attorney Richard Cooper said that
the arrest warrant against her was flimsy. In another statement,
Cooper claimed police acted hastily, adding that the toxicology report
(05:42):
had not yet been provided. Gupta traveled back to Oklahoma
after the incident. She is awaiting extradition back to Florida.
For the latest crime and justice breaking news, be sure
to follow the Crime Alert hourly update on your favorite
podcast app with this crime Alert, I'm Sidney Sumner.
Host
Nancy Grace
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