Alyson Cranick

By Josh Lanier From Daily Voice

A 44-year-old former Connecticut school employee accused of repeatedly sexually assaulting an 11-year-old boy has pleaded guilty to federal charges in the case, authorities said. 

Alyson Cranick, of Columbia, pleaded guilty on Tuesday, Nov. 18, to coercion and enticement of a minor to engage in sexual activity, the US Attorney for Connecticut said. She now faces a minimum of 10 years in prison. 

Cranick was accused of using texts, Snapchat, and Discord to entice the child into sexual activity multiple times during the summer and fall of 2022, the prosecutor said. Several times, she coerced the boy to leave his home in the middle of the night to meet with her in secret. 

The assaults happened at Columbia Lake and the Horace Porter School in Columbia, as well as Salmon River State Forest in Colchester, according to WTNH.

She sent the boy more than 4,700 messages from July to October 2022 on Discord alone, authorities said. 

Cranick, who was an administrative assistant for Region 19 schools, was arrested in 2023 on state charges and was federally charged in July 2024. 

A judge will sentence her on Feb. 12, 2026. She faces a maximum of life in prison, per federal sentencing guidelines.