School District Worker Allegedly Told 13-Year-Old To Undress, Perform Sexual Acts Online

Chicago Police Department (CPD) confirmed that an Illinois school employee was accused of grooming and sexually abusing a 13-year-old girl. Gabriel Valadez, 26, who worked at Waukegan District 60’s administrative offices, was arrested Feb. 19.

According to Cook County Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman, Valadez was released from Cook County jail on Feb. 23 on electronic monitoring. He was charged with felony counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse of a victim under 13 years old, exploitation of a child under 13 and grooming.

Chicago Police Officer Jennifer Bryk said most interactions between the accused and the unnamed minor were through online platforms. Valadez allegedly used to engage in conversations with the girl through FaceTime. During the video chats, authorities claimed he told the victim to undress and perform sexual acts while he masturbated. Nude photos of the 13-year-old engaging in sexual acts were also received by Valadez.

Bryk did not reveal exactly when Valadez came in contact with the victim for the first time, although when he did meet the minor in person, he allegedly grabbed the girl’s hand and placed it on his crotch, NBC Chicago reported.

Waukegan District 60 spokesman Nick Alajakis said the accused was employed by them in August 2017 for the post of an administrative assistant and he resigned Feb. 25. “He was never assigned to work in our schools; therefore, he had no contact with students,” Alajakis told Chicago Tribune, Friday.

He added that the administrators of the school district did not have any communication with Valadez between his arrest and his resignation. The CPD has not requested for any details regarding Valadez’s employment with the district, nor have the administrators sent out a letter to the parents of the children enrolled under the district, informing them of the incident.

Prior to working at the Waukegan District 60, Valadez was employed by the Chicago Public Schools in 2014 to work as a miscellaneous assistant for CPS’s Network 7. His job profile entailed providing support for attendance clerks, school-level administration and other members of the staff. He also worked as a special education classroom assistant in the state.

Waukegan’s superintendent, Theresa Plascencia, who was the chief of Network 7 from November 2013 to August 2015, said she did know of Valadez but was not directly involved in his hiring at Waukegan.

Valadez’s next court appearance was on March 12.

In February, Baylee Ashton Turner, an English teacher at Sarcoxie High School, Illinois, was arrested for having sex with a student at her home. She reportedly admitted to police that she had sex with one of her students in mid-January and was charged her with sexual contact with a student by a teacher. The judge set her bond at $10,000 and forbade her to have any forms of contact with anyone under 16 years of age.