A Connecticut middle school guidance counselor sent nudes and gave “lapdances” to a 13-year-old student in her office — and her alleged sexual abuse was uncovered after she lent a friend her phone, which was filled with explicit texts she sent to the teen, cops said.
Married mother of three Luisa Melchionne, 47, was arrested Thursday, months after a male friend borrowed her phone when his broke and found raunchy messages between the educator and teen boy, police documents reportedly state.
The former Nathan Hale Middle School staffer was charged with second-degree sexual assault and two counts of risk of injury to a minor, Norwalk police said.
She has since resigned from Norwalk Public Schools.
Authorities began a probe into the New Canaan resident in late April, when the friend contacted police about finding messages that “appeared sexual in nature” on the phone, according to an arrest warrant affidavit reported on by the Norwalk Hour.
The messages also included explicit photos of Melchionne and money transactions, according to the police document.
When reached by police, the teen told investigators he received nude photos from Melchionne and payments for Uber rides, food and $100 around Christmas last year, according to the affidavit also reported on by NBC Connecticut.
The student also said that Melchionne performed “lapdances” and other sexual acts with him behind closed doors and with the blinds pulled down, the affidavit states, according to the two outlets.
Prosecutor Paul Ferencek said in court that the victim was 13 years old at the time, according to the Hour.
“The safety of our students is our first concern. Luisa Melchionne is no longer employed by Norwalk Public Schools,” the school system said in a statement, per NBC CT.
“Norwalk Public Schools is cooperating with the Norwalk Police Department’s investigation and has no further comment.”
Her lawyer, Mark Sherman, told The Post that Melchionne resigned from the job last month.
“Luisa is still very much entitled to the presumption of innocence,” said Sherman, a criminal defense lawyer based in Stamford.
“These are just accusations. What we do know is that these charges are being filed against a devoted wife and mother who has dedicated over 21 years to her profession, and it’s going to take some time to investigate this case.”
Sherman said she posted $500,000 bond and was released Thursday.
Melchionne is prohibited from having unsupervised contact with minors except her three kids and will be under house arrest, the Hour reported.