Jan 26, 2009 1:53 pm US/Central
Jailed Teacher Claims To Have Molested 75 Boys
ANTIOCH, Ill. (Sun-Times Media Wire) ―
A north suburban middle school teacher has been charged with 10 counts of illegal possession of child pornography and allegedly admitted molesting dozens of boys over the last three decades.
Kenneth Lee Johnson, 60, of 450 N. Main St. Apt. 407 in Wauconda admitted to sexually abusing 75 boys over the past 35 years, Lake County Sheriff Mark Curran said Monday. Those claims have not been substantiated, the sheriff said.
Antioch Elementary District 34 Supt. Scott Thompson said, "Right now, we have no indication there were any victims in our school district." Johnson is a social studies teacher at Antioch Upper Grade School on Highview Drive.
"As a father of three, it is alarming, it is disturbing and it absolutely puts a pit in my stomach," Curran said.
Johnson, who taught in District 34 for 20 years, was arrested Jan. 20 after being interviewed by sheriff's police Det. Sgt. George Manis and Det. Karen Kates. The department received a tip just after the start of the new year from the FBI, which performs constant surveillance on the Internet, Curran said.
Manis and Kates performed a "knock and talk" visit at Johnson's home, during which Johnson admitted having child pornography on his personal computer. Manis said he and Kates asked Johnson if he had looked at child porn, and Johnson admitted to doing so.
The computer, DVDs, floppy disks and printed materials were all seized from Johnson's home. Subsequently, more than 1,000 images and nearly 100 video clips of child porn were found on the computer, Curran said.
"Victims in those materials are all male and between the ages of infant to approximately 15," he said.
Manis said while he and Kates were interviewing Johnson at his home, Johnson admitted sexually abusing 75 boys. Johnson later revealed the victims were from the Antioch and Wauconda areas, including children from his neighborhood and District 34.
Some of Johnson's alleged victims have already been questioned and none have corroborated the stories, Curran said.
"We have not been able to substantiate any of Johnson's victims," said Curran. "The problem is, some of it may be fantasies. We don't know yet."
Johnson has been placed on leave from his teaching position and is prohibited from being on school grounds or having contact with staff or students, District 34 Board President Brent Bluthardt said a statement.
"It was a shock," Thompson said of the charges. He praised the quality teachers in his district, adding that "for one to mar the reputation of the district is really hurtful."
In his statement, Bluthardt said the district "will have social workers available for students, parents and staff at the school in order to help them through this difficult time."
Johnson is being held in the Lake County Jail on $500,000 bond.
(Source: Sun-Times Media Wire © Chicago Sun-Times 2009. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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