Illinois Middle School Teacher and Girls Basketball Coach Charged With Child Sex Abuse Material Offenses

A sixth-grade teacher who also coaches girls basketball at a middle school in Island Lake, Illinois, was arrested Thursday morning on child sexual abuse material charges, CBS Chicago reported. According to the station, Crystal Lake police took the 27-year-old into custody while executing a search warrant at his residence, and he was charged with two counts of possessing and two counts of disseminating such material.

CBS Chicago reported that police were led to the teacher through the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. Other local outlets, including the Daily Herald, reported that the dissemination counts are charged as Class X felonies, the most serious felony classification in Illinois short of murder, and that he remained in custody pending an initial court appearance.

In a letter to families, Wauconda Community School District 118 confirmed the teacher's role at Matthews Middle School, said he had been placed on administrative leave and said he is barred from district property and from contacting students, according to CBS Chicago. The station reported that officials did not say whether any children from the school are believed to be involved in the material at issue. The charges are allegations and have not been tested in court.