Two Former River Crest Elementary Teachers Plead Guilty To Sex Crimes, Records Say

A former fifth-grade teacher in Hudson, Wisconsin, has become the second educator from River Crest Elementary School to plead guilty to sexually assaulting minors, court records and local news reports say.

On Sept. 14, 2025, 25-year-old Abigail Faust pleaded guilty in St. Croix County Court to child enticement–sexual conduct and second-degree sexual assault of a child under 16, according to the Pioneer Press, WQOW and KARE 11. Prosecutors say Faust admitted to sexually assaulting two 15-year-old boys, one of whom she had been employed to nanny for. Faust also pleaded guilty in Washington County, Minnesota, to third-degree criminal sexual conduct in connection with one of those assaults.

Faust read a statement in court saying,

"What I did was not a mistake or a lapse of judgment," and that she is attending therapy to understand "why I allowed myself to make those choices."

Before the arrests tied to the teenagers, Faust had resigned from River Crest Elementary in May 2025 after allegations surfaced that, in 2024, she kept a fifth-grade student after class, pushed him against a wall and kissed him on the cheek. In August 2025 she was charged with multiple counts related to that incident, including failure to protect a child, causing mental harm to a child, child enticement and sexual misconduct by school staff. As part of Faust’s plea in St. Croix County, prosecutors agreed to dismiss many of those charges, including the allegation that she kissed the student.

Another former River Crest teacher, 26-year-old Madison Bergmann, pleaded guilty previously to child enticement and two counts of sexual misconduct involving an 11-year-old student. Bergmann was sentenced to six years in prison in December 2025. Investigators say Bergmann exchanged thousands of text messages with the child, including at least one referencing "making out."

According to the criminal complaint and local reporting, Faust and Bergmann exchanged text messages about their relationships with students. Prosecutors further allege Faust knew about Bergmann’s improper relationship with the 11-year-old and failed to report it.

Faust faces sentencing in both Minnesota and Wisconsin courts in December 2025. The Minnesota plea package reportedly requests a stayed three-year prison term, 10 years of probation and one year in jail to run concurrent with the St. Croix County sentence. Faust’s attorney did not respond to requests for comment. Local outlets covering the case include the Pioneer Press, WQOW, KARE 11 and 13 News Now.