MIDLOTHIAN, Texas – A Texas grand jury has formally indicted a former substitute teacher and her boyfriend on dozens of child sex crime charges involving a 5-year-old child, leading to their combined bonds being set at nearly $9 million.
Initial Arrests Follow Tip-Off
Madison Paige Jones, 30, and Zackery Harold Dondlinger, 37, were first arrested in December 2025 following an investigation by the Midlothian Police Department. Authorities took Jones into custody on December 19 after a woman, identifying herself as a friend, contacted officers with concerns about Dondlinger’s behavior towards a 5-year-old child living in Jones’s home.
Police said Jones, who at the time was a substitute teacher for the Midlothian Independent School District, confessed to sexually assaulting the child. She claimed Dondlinger directed her actions, stating he harbored sexual fantasies about the child. Jones allegedly sent videos of these acts to Dondlinger via Snapchat.
Dondlinger, a native of Happy, Texas, was arrested several days later on December 23. Officers located him on an oil rig site located about an hour west of Odessa, Texas. The investigation quickly escalated as police obtained warrants to seize electronic devices belonging to both Jones and Dondlinger, including two phones from Dondlinger and an iPad and phone from Jones.
Grand Jury Delivers Indictments
An Ellis County grand jury indicted both Jones and Dondlinger on March 4, finding sufficient evidence to move forward with charges. The abuse happened almost every day from December 5 through December 17, 2025, and involved one child.
Dondlinger was hit with 20 felony counts: 13 for aggravated sexual assault of a child, 2 for indecency by sexual contact, 3 for indecency by exposure, plus one count each of promoting sexual performance of a child and possession with intent to promote child pornography.
Jones was indicted on 19 felony counts. Her charges mirror many of Dondlinger’s, including 13 counts of aggravated sexual assault of a child, a first-degree felony. She also faces two counts of indecency with a child by sexual contact, a second-degree felony, and three counts of indecency with a child by exposure, a third-degree felony. Additionally, Jones faces one count of possession of child pornography, specifically more than 500 visual depictions, a first-degree felony.
Bonds Skyrocket for Accused
After the indictments came down, their bonds skyrocketed. Dondlinger’s bond soared from an initial $200,000 to $5,000,000. Jones’s bond also saw a significant increase, climbing from $90,000 to $3,840,000. The combined bond amount for the couple now stands at nearly $9 million.
Court documents obtained by NewsChannel10 indicate that a message found on Jones’s phone from Dondlinger corroborated her account of acting under his direction. An iPad, initially with a relative of Jones, was also turned over to law enforcement after the relative learned of the criminal investigation.
Midlothian ISD Responds
At the time of her arrest, Jones was employed as a substitute teacher for the Midlothian Independent School District. Shortly after the news of the criminal investigation became public, Midlothian ISD confirmed that Jones was no longer employed by the district. The district also provided information regarding her last dates of work as a substitute teacher.
Police are still investigating. The couple now faces serious felony charges and will head toward trial.
Both Zackery Dondlinger and Madison Paige Jones remain in custody at the Wayne McCollum Detention Center in Ellis County.
