Madison County woman sexually abused teenager multiple times, charges allege

A 45-year-old Moro woman sexually abused a teenager multiple times, according to charges filed earlier this week in Madison County.

Tonya Rene Christians was accused of sexually abusing the child, who was older than 13 but younger than 17, in multiple cities, according to a news release from the Madison County Sheriff’s Office. Police in Bethalto, Wood River and Troy investigated the case.

Police arrested Christians. She remained in custody in the Madison County Jail as of Friday.

Judge Kyle Napp set her bail at $50,000. The judge also prohibited her from contacting the teen.

Further details were not provided because the case was still under investigation as of Friday, the news release stated.

Christians was charged with three felony counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse.

This story was originally published December 8, 2018 at 3:14 PM.

Kelsey Landis

Belleville News-Democrat

618-239-2101

Kelsey Landis is an Illinois state affairs and politics reporter for the Belleville News-Democrat. She joined the newsroom in January 2020 after her first stint at the paper from 2016 to 2018. She graduated from Southern Illinois University in 2010 and earned a master’s from DePaul University in 2014. Landis previously worked at The Alton Telegraph. At the BND, she focuses on informing you about what your lawmakers are doing in Springfield and Washington, D.C., and she works to hold them accountable. Landis has won Illinois Press Association awards for her work, including the Freedom of Information Award.