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PATERSON, N.J. (AP) — Prosecutors have filed another charge against a substitute teacher accused of sexually assaulting a student in a northern New Jersey school district where she sometimes taught.
The Record (http://bit.ly/1voweo2) reports that 21-year-old Linda Hardan, of Prospect Park, now faces another child endangerment charge for allegedly texting sexually explicit photos to a different Manchester Regional High School student earlier this month.
Hardan was already charged with sexual assault, child endangerment and criminal sexual contact stemming from allegations that she had sex with a student on Nov. 20 at an undisclosed location in Wayne. She was arrested the next day after school officials contacted authorities, but prosecutors have not said how the officials became aware of the allegations.
Both students are 16-year-old boys who attend the school in Haledon, which serves students from that town, Prospect Park and North Haledon.
Hardan pleaded not guilty to all charges during a court hearing on Wednesday. The judge hearing the matter agreed to reduce her bail from $250,000 to $200,000, but she remained jailed Thursday.
Prosecutors had fought the bail reduction, arguing that Hardan is a potential risk. They noted that she managed to establish inappropriate relationships with students in a short period of time.
Hardan could face about 20 years in prison if convicted on all counts.
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Information from: The Record (Woodland Park, N.J.), http://www.northjersey.com
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