The student told a detective that Alyson Cranick would drive to his house between 1 a.m. and 2 a.m, he would sneak out, she would give him an energy drink to stay awake, and they would have intercourse in her car, according to the arrest warrant.
A former Connecticut school employee is accused of raping an 11-year-old student on multiple occasions.
Police arrested Alyson Cranick, 42, on Tuesday and charged her with two counts of first-degree sexual assault with a victim under the age of 13 and three counts of injury or risk of injury to or impairing the morals of a child under 16, according to court records.
The records also show that Cranick has not yet entered a plea, does not have a lawyer, and is being held on $500,000 bond.
Cranick had been living with her husband, Marc, in Connecticut, according to public records, but moved to Pennsylvania at some point in the past year.
The alleged victim first spoke to police in September, after telling a family member that he and Cranick had a sexual relationship for two months the previous summer, according to an arrest warrant obtained by Inside Edition Digital.
In that initial meeting, the boy said Cranick "sexually assaulted" him by forcing him to engage in intercourse, according to the warrant.
This went on for two months in 2022, according to the boy, who told a detective that Cranick would drive to his house and he would sneak out at between 1 a.m. and 2 a.m. to meet her, according to the warrant.
The boy told the detective that he and Cranick would have sex in the vehicle, and that when he complained about being tired from sneaking out in the middle of the night she began to buy him energy drinks, says the warrant.
Cranick at one point allegedly offered to buy the boy an airsoft gun or Apple AirPods, according to the warrant, but the boy said it would be too hard to explain the purchases to his parents.
It was the boy who ended the relationship, according to the warrant, using an injury and the start of the school year as his excuse for not being able to sneak out and see Cranick.
When the detective on the case interviewed the boy's family members, they showed him 392 screenshots of Discord messages sent between the boy and Cranick between July and October of 2022, according to the warrant.
"The messages revealed many consistencies with the [boy's] forensic interview," alleges the warrant. "They showed that from the beginning of their conversation until September 2022, Cranick encouraged [the boy] to sneak out almost nightly after his family members had gone to sleep."
The warrant also says that Cranick's messages to the boy "were often flirtatious and sexual in nature," and that she sent messages in which she "suggested he shower with her," said "she wanted [the boy] in bed laying on top of her," and even sent a photo of a bracelet with beads that said "BFFFLWB" which she made for the boy.
"[The boy] later explained that Cranick told him 'BFFLWB' meant 'Best Friends For Life With Benefits,'" according to the warrant.
Detectives from Eastern District Major Crime also interviewed Cranick in Pennsylvania prior to her arrest.
She denied initiating any sexual contact with the boy, said she could not recall her Discord username, and dismissed the flirtatious and sexual nature of her texts by saying she is "just a really nice person" and "was trying to comfort [the boy] because he is scared" due to family issues, according to the warrant.
The boy sat for one more interview, at which time his family member also provided cellphone records that showed multiple calls made by Cranick to the boy in the middle of the night, according to the warrant.
That is when the Connecticut State Police filed their warrant, claiming that they had probable cause to believe Cranick had committed the crimes for which she is now charged.
If she is able to post bail, Cranick will not be able to return home to Pennsylvania and will instead have to remain in Connecticut until her trial.
Barbara Wilson, the interim superintendent for one of the districts where Cranick had been employed, released a statement after the arrest.
"I write to inform you that a former Columbia Public School employee was arrested for sexual assault and risk of injury to a minor. Clearly, any allegation of inappropriate contact with minors is disturbing and causes concerns about the safety of the children in our school community," read the statement in part.
Wilson went on to write that the safety of the children is "the district's foremost concern," and encouraged individuals with "any concerns or allegations pertaining to inappropriate contact with students" to contact her office.
"It is with great regret that I must share this information with you today. As educators, we are entrusted to protect and educate all of our students. Maintaining appropriate faculty-student relationships and providing for the safety and wellbeing of our students at all times are critical," wrote Wilson in closing. "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."
