'MAGA Hat-Wearing Bride' Charged with Alleged Abuse of Children, Including Her 5-Year-Old Daughter

Madison Paige Jones, a 30-year-old former substitute teacher from Midlothian, Texas, has been indicted on 19 child sex crime charges following a months-long investigation into the alleged sexual assault of a 5-year-old child. An Ellis County grand jury returned the indictment on 4 March 2026; her boyfriend, Zackery Dondlinger, was separately indicted on 20 counts arising from the same case.

Jones drew wider attention after her arrest when images from her wedding reception — showing her in a white wedding gown and a red cap bearing the word 'Trump' — were circulated online by PatriotTakes, a political watchdog account. Investigating officers have not cited her political affiliations in connection with the charges against her.

What Investigators Found

The investigation began on 17 December 2025, when Midlothian police received a tip from a woman who identified herself as a friend of Jones. The woman told officers she was concerned about the behaviour of Jones' boyfriend toward the child, who lived in Jones' home.

When police confronted Jones, she confessed to sexually assaulting the child at Dondlinger's direction, explaining that he had sexual fantasies about the child and that she sent videos of the acts to him via Snapchat to satisfy his demands. Officers seized Jones' iPhone and secured a search warrant, finding a message from Dondlinger that corroborated her account.

Jones was arrested on 19 December. Dondlinger was arrested four days later, on 23 December, at the oil rig where he was working, roughly an hour west of Odessa in West Texas.

39 Counts Between Two Suspects

Jones was indicted on 19 counts, including 13 counts of aggravated sexual assault of a child, possession of child pornography involving more than 500 visual depictions, two counts of indecency with a child by sexual contact, and three counts of indecency with a child by exposure. Dondlinger was indicted on 20 counts, including 13 counts of aggravated sexual assault of a child, promoting sexual performance of a child, and possession with intent to promote child pornography.

Following the indictments, Jones' bond was raised from $90,000 (approximately £71,000) to $3.84 million (approximately £3.03 million), while Dondlinger's was increased from $250,000 (approximately £197,000) to $5 million (approximately £3.95 million). Both remain in custody at Wayne McCollum Detention Centre in Ellis County. No trial date has been set.

The School District's Response

Jones had been working as a substitute teacher at Midlothian Independent School District at the time of her arrest. District records show she worked on campus four times over the previous year — at Baxter Elementary on 28 and 29 October and 3 November, and at Heritage High School on 19 November.

Midlothian ISD said in a statement: 'Our district process for monitoring employee criminal history functioned as intended, and we were notified quickly by the DPS. The substitute teacher is no longer employed by MISD, and the district followed its required reporting procedures with the Texas Education Agency.' The district confirmed the alleged offences did not occur on school property or involve any of their students.

The case is among a growing number of child sex crime prosecutions involving Texas educators. Hundreds of Texas teachers have been accused of such offences in recent years, with thousands reported to the Texas Education Agency for sexual misconduct.