August 29, 2017
Source/Chester County District Attorney's Office
Melissa Bonkoski, 38, of Pottstown, Montgomery County.
A former West Philadelphia science teacher charged earlier this month with sexually assaulting a 16-year-old student at a Chester County high school was arrested again Tuesday after prosecutors said they received new information about the extent of their sexual relationship.
Melissa Bonkoski, 38, of Pottstown, had been charged Aug. 16 with multiple felonies for her alleged involvement with a male student at Owen J. Roberts High School in South Coventry Township, where she was in her second year teaching Earth science.
Investigators detailed a secretive intrigue in which Bonkoski allegedly purchased a "burner" phone exclusively to interact with the victim, a former student who she had offered to give rides home from work. The victim came forward to police after he became upset he had cheated on his girlfriend, who notified authorities upon discovering suspicious text messages, according to the criminal complaint.
The initial charges, based on interviews with both the defendant and the victim, contained uncertainty over whether the relationship had progressed beyond kissing and touching. Bonkoski told detectives she had sex with the victim during a second interview on Aug. 11, but the victim only acknowledged he had slept in his former teacher's bed.
Bonkoski was released on $80,000 unsecured bail prior to an Aug. 17 hearing.
On Tuesday, prosecutors announced her re-arrest in light of an alleged confirmation from the victim that the two had sex for the first time in December 2016.
Details from the investigation paint a picture of Bonkoski, who also coached softball, as a woman who became obsessed with her former student. When sexual contact between the two stopped in January of this year, text messages discovered by the victim's girlfriend revealed the teacher's apparent desperation, police said.
"I was kinda hoping you would have called me back last night," read one text sent at 5:53 a.m. on March 3. "I really needed to talk."
Weeks later, police said Bonkoski texted again: "Whatever you do, please don't shut me out. Not now. I'm begging you."
In interviews with investigators, Bonkoski allegedly admitted she began to "bombard" the victim with memories after he cut off contact with her. She said she believed her decision to get a burner phone was "smart" and that she thought the communication couldn't be traced to her, investigators said.
Bonkoski, according to a staff bio obtained by The Daily Local, is a graduate of La Salle University who began her teaching career in West Philadelphia. She spent several years in Miami, teaching in schools and at the Miami Seaquarium, before returning to the Philadelphia area.
She is charged with institutional sexual assault, unlawful contact with a minor, unlawful use of a communications facility, and corruption of minors.
"The Chester County Detectives did an excellent job following this case from a small lead to a completed and comprehensive investigation," Chester County District Attorney Tom Hogan said. "Rule No. 1 if you are a teacher or a coach: Do not have sex with a student. Breaking this rule is a one-way ticket to arrest, losing your job, and prison. Not to mention the profound damage to the victim and the school community which you were entrusted to serve.
