KENOSHA, Wis. — A former substitute teacher at Bradford High School is charged with 17 counts of sexual misconduct for allegedly sending inappropriate messages to a teen student.
According to a criminal complaint filed Tuesday, Alex Poyner, 32, sent sexual messages to a then-15-year-old male student in 2024.
The messages were brought to the school’s attention in October 2024, when the student confided in the assistant principal at Bradford High School, who then alerted a school resource officer.
According to the complaint, the student said Poyner had been sending him messages on Instagram since the beginning of the year. The interactions allegedly began when the student reached out to the teacher on Instagram, asking why he had “been fired.”
Investigators said the messages the teacher sent to the teen were sexual in nature and explicit, with a “sexual undertone.” The teen said he ceased communication with the defendant after the teacher allegedly made multiple inappropriate statements.
Watch: Former Bradford High School substitute teacher charged with sexual misconduct
An investigation later revealed that Poyner was also a substitute teacher at West Allis-West Milwaukee and Nicolet Union High School.
The complaint states that a detective learned Poyner was employed at West Allis-West Milwaukee from September 2021 until October 2024. The superintendent said he was placed on administrative leave in October pending the outcome of an internal investigation into allegations of misconduct and that he resigned from his position during the investigation.
Investigators also confirmed with the superintendent at Nicolet High School that the defendant was employed there in September 2024.
An official at the Kenosha Unified School District told investigators that Poyner was not fired or terminated from his position but instead resigned in April 2024 “due to an inter-work note that had been shared with another staff member.”
According to the complaint, Poyner admitted to detectives over the phone in November 2024 that it was “probably unprofessional” for him to be messaging the student. However, he claimed the student reached out to him first asking for advice, said he didn’t intend for the messages to be construed as sexual, and stated that he used “dark humor” to cheer the student up.
An arrest warrant has been issued for Poyner, according to court records. If convicted, he faces nearly 60 years in prison.
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