Alyson Cranick, Columbia, Connecticut school employee accused of having sex with 11 year old boy after befriending boy with benefits.
‘Best Friends for Life With Benefits.’ A former married Connecticut school worker has been arrested following allegations she had sex with an 11 year old male student in Columbia last year.
Alyson Cranick, 42, turned herself into police Tuesday on several charges including two counts of sexual assault, risk of injury to a child and impairing the morals of children.
The married mother of two was earlier fired as an administrative assistant at E.O. Smith High School in Mansfield after being accused of repeatedly having sex with the boy when he was just 11 and 12, WFSB reported.
In a message to the Columbia school community on Tuesday, the district said the allegations are disturbing and cause concerns about the safety of their children.
Police said they were made aware of a reported sex assault involving a minor that happened in 2022. The incident was reported to officers in September 2023, NBC Connecticut reported.
According to an arrest warrant, police said the 11-year-old told a relative that he was in a sexual relationship with Cranick during July and August of 2022. The boy said he had been communicating with Cranick over iMessage and Snapchat before ultimately using Discord.
The boy allegedly snuck out to meet Cranick and the two had sexual relations in her car on multiple occasions. The two had also kissed at Horace Porter School in Columbia, according to court documents.
Documents stated the admin assistant either waited by ‘hiding behind a bush on a neighbor’s property or walking up to his house.’
Betrayal of position of authority, power and trust
Conversations between the two showed several flirtatious and sexual messages. An arrest warrant noted Cranick making the boy a bracelet with the acronym ‘BFFLWB,’ meaning ‘Best Friends for Life With Benefits.’
Messages appear to show Cranick ’emotionally manipulated [the boy] into spending more time with her.’ The boy eventually refused to sneak out to see Cranick, and messages between the two showed that the boy did not want to have any further relations with her, according to the warrant.
During questioning, Cranick told authorities that she did not initiate sexual contact, and she ‘downplayed any inappropriate reasoning for communicating [with the boy],’ the warrant stated. Police went on to say that Cranick claimed she was trying to comfort the boy because he was scared about family issues.
The school district said, ‘Columbia community members should be reassured that the safety of children is the district’s foremost concern,’ citing robust policies and procedures.
Not immediately clear is what led to the school employee betraying her position of authority, power and trust to subjugate her male victim.
A judge told Cranick’s parents that they have to pay 10% percent of the $500,000 bond to release her and take her back to Pennsylvania, where she’s originally from, WFSB reported.
