Former Elementary School Teacher Sentenced For Sexually Abusing Minor Boy In Hotel Room

Indianapolis, Indiana -- A former elementary school teacher from Chicago has been sentenced to 50 years in prison for sexually abusing a boy under 13 in a hotel room in Indiana, the Department of Justice (DoJ) said.

Pedro Ibarra, the 48-year-old man from Illinois, was sentenced to federal prison Monday on charges of sexual exploitation of a child and attempted sexual exploitation of a child, the DoJ said in a news release. Ibarra entered a plea deal earlier this year.

An investigation revealed that Ibarra met the minor boy in an online chatroom on June 21, 2021, and persuaded the latter to engage in sexually explicit conduct that he recorded on his phone.

Later, Ibarra drove to Hancock County, Indiana, picked up the boy, and took him to a hotel room where he was sexually abused. Ibarra also recorded the act on his cell phone, the court records said.

The investigation began after the boy's parents reported the boy missing. The minor returned home after he was sexually abused by Ibarra. He later revealed his ordeal to the police.

The investigators soon identified the suspect and arrested him on June 23, 2021. Ibarra was a Chicago Public School teacher when he committed the crimes and was terminated after the arrest. He had taught elementary school students for more than three years.

"Four hours. Ibarra had four hours to recognize the wrongfulness of his conduct. Ibarra had four hours to think about the fact that the child he was going to see was one-quarter of Ibarra’s age. Ibarra had four hours to recognize that this boy was the same age as some of Ibarra’s elementary school students," the officials said in a federal sentencing memorandum, Law & Crime reported.

The federal agents got involved in the probe after the preliminary investigation revealed that Ibarra crossed state lines to abuse the minor boy.

While examining Ibarra's phone, the investigators also found records that showed him engaging in sexually explicit conduct with another boy. The second victim was later identified as a minor who lived in Illinois.