Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office
A New Jersey special education teacher was charged with molesting one of her students, authorities said.
Allison Havemann-Niedrach, a 43-year-old special education teacher at Freehold Intermediate School, was hit with one count each of first-degree aggravated sexual assault and second-degree child welfare endangerment, Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond Santiago said Saturday.
The Jackson resident was arrested earlier this week after an investigation by the MCPO Special Victims Bureau and Freehold Police Department revealed that Havemann-Niedrach allegedly began sexually abusing her student earlier this year, Santiago said.
The prosecutor’s office did not say how many times Havemann-Niedrach assaulted her pupil or how authorities learned about the abuse. The student’s age is also unknown, but grades six through eight attend Freehold Intermediate School.
Havemann-Niedrach has worked for the Freehold Borough School District since 2022, according to her LinkedIn page, where she describes herself as a “passionate, results-driven and sincere educator.”
Asia Michael, schools superintendent for the Freehold Borough School District, wrote an email to staff and parents Friday night flagging a “former staff member” had been arrested, according to the Asbury Park Press.
“It is with a heavy heart that I must share some distressing news with you,” the email began.
“We have been informed that a former staff member has been arrested on allegations of third-degree aggravated sexual assault and inappropriate sexual conduct with a minor,” it continued.
Havemann-Niedrach is currently being held at the Monmouth County Jail, pending her first appearance and a hearing to determine whether she will continue to be detained while awaiting trial, according to authorities.
Her lawyer, Thomas Huth, told APP that Havemann-Niedrach “maintains her innocence at this time.”