Authorities say a former employee in the New Berlin School District has been arrested on five counts of Aggravated Criminal Sexual Abuse and one count of Child Sexual Abuse Material.
Lyndsay Prather, 43, of New Berlin has been under investigation for nearly a year.
On April 15, 2025, the New Berlin School District notified local police of information they received in reference to a school employee engaging in an inappropriate relationship with a minor. The investigation was later transferred to The Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office Investigations Division.
Public records show Prather was employed as a paraprofessional in the district starting in 2021. On April 21, 2025, the school board voted to terminate Prather's employment on a 7-0 vote.
According to the sheriff's office, detectives, working in coordination with the Department of Children and Family Services, the Sangamon County Child Advocacy Center and the Sangamon County States Attorney’s Office conducted an investigation that resulted in the issuance of an arrest warrant against Prather.
On Thursday, Prather was taken into custody at the Sangamon County Jail, where she is awaiting arraignment and a detention hearing.
Authorities said no further information will be released at this time. The district has not released a statement.
