A 41-year-old Burlington woman is accused of having an inappropriate relationship with a then 12-year-old boy, according to a criminal complaint filed Friday by the Racine County District Attorney's Office.
As reported by the Racine County Eye, Kerry Hughes faces six felony charges that could put her in prison for the rest of her life. She was charged on Thursday with two counts of first-degree sexual assault of a child younger than 13 years old, each carrying a sentence of up to 60 years in prison.
Hughes, who remains in custody in the Racine County Jail on a $250,000 cash bond, is also charged with felony counts of using a computer to facilitate a child sex crime, child enticement, causing a child younger than 13 to view/listen to sexual activity and exposing intimate parts.
Victim Said He and Hughes Exchanged Nude Photos
The investigation was initiated after the Racine County Sheriff's Office was contacted by the Racine County Child Protective Services on Dec. 28, regarding an alleged sexual relationship between Hughes and a 13-year-old boy.
The contact began when the boy was 12, the complaint states. In an interview on Jan. 3 at the Child Advocacy Center, he stated Hughes texted him last August, the conversations continued via text and progressively "got worse," the child told investigators.
Specifically, the boy stated, "We started texting, and then I tried to stop and then I kept going. ... then I kept texting, and then it started getting worse and worse. We started talking about bad things and then pictures."
The boy also told investigators that the "bad texting" included the defendant sending several completely nude photographs of herself to him. The boy said he sent one of himself and stated he "immediately regretted it."
Hughes allegedly told him to delete the photos and contents of their conversations, stating that," if he doesn't tell anyone, they both won't get into any trouble."
Hughes Accused of Kissing, Touching Victim Inappropriately During Sleepover at Her House, in School Parking Lot
The boy stated that between August and November of 2023 when he was 12, he was at a sleepover with the defendant's son at their house when Hughes texted him and told him to come to the bathroom downstairs. When the boy arrived in the bathroom, the defendant closed the door, began to kiss him and then began to touch him, the complaint states.
Eventually, the boy stopped the kissing because he "didn't want to anymore." Another incident happened when the boy and Hughes were in a car, when he stated she sexually assaulted him in the parking lot of Burlington High School.
Police also stated in the complaint that at least one other student, between the ages of 12 and 15, has come forward to indicate the defendant solicited sex from him through text while he was at a sleepover with her son at their house. That investigation is ongoing.
Hughes is due back in Racine County Circuit Court on Wednesday, Jan. 10, for a 9 a.m. preliminary hearing.
