COLUMBIA, Conn. (WKRC) – A 44-year-old woman, who also worked as a school employee, was accused of texting an 11-year-old thousands of times before sexually assaulting him.
According to United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Connecticut, 44-year-old Alyson Cranick of Columbia, pleaded guilty to coercion and enticement of a minor to engage in sexual activity.
Cranick admitted to using text messaging, Snapchat, and the internet chat service Discord to coerce an 11-year-old boy into sexually explicit conduct.
Court documents revealed that Cranick induced the minor to leave his home after midnight several times between the summer and fall of 2022 to meet her, during which she sexually assaulted him. Authorities said between July and October 2022, Cranick exchanged over 4,700 messages with the victim on Discord.
Cranick was arrested on related state charges on Nov. 14, 2023, and has been detained since Nov. 28, 2023.
According to The New York Post, Cranick worked as an administrative assistant at E.O. Smith High School in Mansfield, Connecticut until her firing in September 2023.
She was federally charged in July 2024.
U.S. District Judge Kari A. Dooley scheduled sentencing for February 12, where Cranick faces a mandatory minimum of ten years and a maximum of life imprisonment.
The case was investigated by the FBI’s Child Exploitation Task Force and the Connecticut State Police’s Eastern District Major Crime Unit.