Former Wauwatosa teacher sentenced, sexual assault of student

WAUWATOSA, Wis. - A former Wauwatosa middle school teacher convicted of sexually assaulting a student was sentenced on Friday to five years in prison.

Tyesha Bolden, 34, pleaded guilty in January to third-degree sexual assault, sexual assault of a student by school staff and intentionally selling a dangerous weapon to a child. In addition to prison time, she was sentenced to seven years of extended supervision.

Prosecutors said Bolden bought the victim a gun as a birthday present. The inappropriate relationship began when the victim was a then-13-year-old student in her classroom.

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Court filings indicate Bolden and the victim first met in October 2022 at Pilgrim Lutheran School in Wauwatosa when she became his eighth grade teacher. Investigators said, between late May and late July 2023, the two exchanged more than 2,000 messages.

In the messages, a criminal complaint states Bolden acknowledged the victim was a minor and that she felt guilty. In one message, Bolden wrote: "I want to see you as often as possible and the rest will just happen."

Prosecutors said Bolden also sent the teen nude pictures, and the complaint alleged she and the victim had sex in a Brown Deer park. When he turned 14, the victim said Bolden bought him a gun; prosecutors were able to trace and confirm as much. The boy told investigators the relationship with the teacher ended in late July when Bolden refused to buy him another gun.