NEW YORK (1010 WINS/WCBS 880) – A former Connecticut school employee is facing allegations of sexually abusing a young boy last summer multiple times, prosecutors said on Tuesday.
Alyson Cranick, 42, is accused of manipulating an 11-year-old boy into leaving his home multiple times during the summer of 2022 for sexual activities, according to reports by WFSB.
Cranick has been charged with two counts of first-degree sexual assault and three counts of risk of injury to a child, according to a state police news release.
According to an arrest warrant obtained by the station, the boy told authorities that he communicated with her on iMessage and SnapChat and "snuck out of his house on at least 14 occasions during the overnight hours to meet with Cranick."
He also told police that "at Horace Porter School, they had sexual intercourse in her vehicle," according to the arrest warrant.
A resident of Columbia, Cranick surrendered to the authorities at the Troop K barracks in Colchester on Tuesday.
She is now scheduled for a court appearance in the state Superior Court in Tolland.
During the appearance, she is expected to be fitted with a GPS monitor following her arrest, after which she was held on a $500,000 bond.
Cranick was employed as an administrative assistant in the Region 19 school district, which includes Edwin O. Smith High School in Mansfield, where she worked.
Her employment was ended following an investigation by the state Department of Children and Families.
The investigation began in September. However, Cranick was hired by the Region 19 school district in February, several months before these allegations surfaced.
The arrest warrant, analyzed by WFSB, indicates that Cranick convinced the child to sneak out of his family's home more than a dozen times in the summer of 2022.
In response, the Columbia School System issued a statement emphasizing that the Columbia Board of Education has adopted robust policies and procedures to promote the safety and wellbeing of the children.
"My hope is that this horrific and appalling situation will not cast a shadow over the important work carried out by the Columbia School District's teachers and staff members, who provide an outstanding education and safe environment for our students every day," Interim Superintendent Barbara Wilson said.
