DECATUR, Ill. (WAND) - A former long-term substitute teacher for Decatur Public Schools was sentenced to 10 years in prison Thursday afternoon.

Alley Bardfield, 34, will serve the 10-year sentence at 85%, with three years up to life supervised release. 

Bardfield was arrested by police in April 2024 for sexually abusing and grooming an 11-year-old student.

According to Mt. Zion Police, in early April 2024, a Decatur resident reported a possible inappropriate relationship between Bardfield and her 11-year-old son. The victim was a sixth grade student with DPS at the time of the crime.

During an August hearing, Bardfield took a partial plea agreement to count 1. At the time, the state recommended she be sentenced to 40 years at 85%. The maximum penalty for this sentence is 60 years. 

Back in 2024, the victim's mother said her son had been acting differently after a visit to Bardfield's home. As a result, she said she checked her son's phone and social media. Her son said he had a sexual encounter with Bardfield while he was a guest at her Mt. Zion residence on March 29, 2024, police said.

In early April 2024, officers executed a search warrant at Bardfield's residence and reviewed her text messages and social media accounts.

According to a sworn statement from a Mt. Zion officer, the child's mother said that Bardfield had sent the child over $700 through CashApp over the prior months.

Then, during a Mirandaized interview in 2024 with Bardfield, she admitted to police having sexual penetration with the victim on one occasion. She also stated that she paid him via CashApp and exchanged nude photographs on Snapchat.

Bardfield is no longer employed with DPS, the District told WAND News.

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