A 27-year-old teacher and girls basketball coach at a school in Island Lake, Illinois has been charged with two Class X felony counts of disseminating child sexual abuse material and two Class 2 felony counts of possessing it, after Crystal Lake police executed a search warrant at his home. John M. Anderlik remained in police custody as of Thursday and was due to make his first court appearance Friday.
The investigation began after allegations reached the Crystal Lake Police Department through the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, according to NBC Chicago. Investigators then obtained a search warrant for Anderlik's home as part of the probe, the outlet reported. Wauconda Community School District 118 identified Anderlik as a sixth-grade teacher and girls' basketball coach at Matthews Middle School, though a social media profile attributed to him described him as a seventh-grade English language arts teacher and seventh-grade volleyball coach at the same school, according to a post reviewed on Sotwe.
Charges Carry Steep Prison Exposure
If convicted of the most serious charge against him, Anderlik faces up to 30 years in prison, according to Shaw Local. Prosecutors sought to hold him pending trial ahead of his scheduled Friday court appearance, the same report noted.
Anderlik was placed on administrative leave and barred from contacting any students or entering district property while the case proceeds, per the earlier NBC Chicago report. The district said it was fully cooperating with Crystal Lake police, and that police departments in Island Lake and Wauconda had also been informed of the charges, the Shaw Local report stated.
Volleyball Coaching Role Surfaces
Separate from his position at Matthews Middle School, Anderlik also worked for about six weeks as a coach for a girls volleyball team of players ages 12 and younger at Sky High Volleyball in Crystal Lake, the same Shaw Local account indicated. It was not established whether any charged material involved children connected to the school or district.
District 118 said it was making crisis teams, social workers and counselors available to students and staff at schools across the district, including Matthews Middle School and Wauconda High School, according to CBS News. The outcome of Anderlik's scheduled court appearance had not been reported as of publication.
