need to know
-
Madison Paige Jones, 30, and Zackery Dondlinger, 37, were indicted in Texas on dozens of charges related to the alleged sexual abuse of a 5-year-old girl
-
Jones, a former substitute teacher, allegedly abused children at Dondlinger’s direction and sent him videos via Snapchat, authorities said
-
After the indictment was released, the bail of both suspects was significantly increased. Jones’ bail was set at $3.84 million and Dondlinger’s bail was set at $5 million.
A Texas substitute teacher and her boyfriend have been indicted on dozens of child sex crimes involving a 5-year-old girl.
Madison Paige Jones, 30, was indicted March 4 on 19 counts, including aggravated sexual assault of a child, sexual contact with a child and intent to distribute child pornography, according to Ellis County public court records.
Zackery Dondlinger, 37, was charged on March 4 with 20 nearly identical counts, according to public court records.
The indictment means the grand jury found enough evidence against Jones and Dondlinger for the case to proceed to trial.
Attorneys for Dondlinger and Jones did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
Authorities arrested Jones on December 19, 2025, according to media reports released by the Winkler County Sheriff’s Office (WCSO). Detectives quickly identified Dondlinger as the second suspect and arrested him days later on December 23, 2025, on the oil rig where he worked.
Jones, a substitute teacher, was reportedly in a relationship with Mr. Dondlinger, authorities said.
Madison Page Jones
Photo Credit: Midlothian Police Department
According to court documents obtained by NewsChannel10, authorities initially received information about an alleged abuse incident involving a woman who claimed to be Jones’ friend.
The woman told police she was concerned about Dondlinger’s behavior toward a 5-year-old child at Jones’ home, the outlet reported.
It’s unclear whether the child is a relative of Jones.
Police confronted Jones, who allegedly admitted to sexually abusing the 5-year-old at Dondlinger’s direction. Jones also said Dondlinger had sexual fantasies about children, according to documents obtained by NewsChannel10.
The affidavit obtained by the outlet said Jones sent Dondlinger videos of alleged sexual acts via Snapchat to satisfy his sexual needs. The documents also state that police discovered text messages between Jones and Dondlinger that corroborated her story, NewsChannel10 reported.
The Midlothian Police Department did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
Zachary Dondlinger
Photo Credit: Winkler County Sheriff’s Office
Jones was a substitute teacher in Midlothian ISD, NewsChannel10 and Fox 4 News reported.
A spokesperson for the Midlothian Independent School District confirmed Jones worked for the district but said in a statement to FOX 4 News that she had only worked four days in the past year.
Want the latest crime coverage? register PEOPLE’s free true crime newsletter Breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.
The spokesperson further stated that Jones is no longer employed by the district and the alleged crime does not appear to have occurred at their school or involved one of their students.
Midlothian Independent School District did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
Following the latest indictments, Jones’ bail was increased from $90,000 to $3,840,000 and Dondlinger’s bail was increased from $200,000 to $5,000,000, San Antonio News 4 reported.
If you or someone you know is a victim of sexual abuse, call the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 and text “STRENGTH” to be connected with a certified crisis counselor.
If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or visit www.childhelp.org. All calls are free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.
Read the original article on People
