By Jeremy Gorner
Chicago Breaking News
January 12, 2009
http://www.chicagobreakingnews.com/2009/01/teacher-charged-with-sex-assault-of-student.html
A teacher at an all-girl Catholic high school has been charged with criminal sexual assault after a series of sexual encounters with one of his students, authorities said this morning.
Eric Cheung, 24, a chemistry teacher at Maria High School on Chicago's Southwest Side, was arrested at 5 p.m. Friday at his home in the 900 block of North Paulina Street. His bail was set at $500,000 at a Sunday bond hearing.
The sex charge against Cheung stems from encounters with a 16-year-old female student at the school between October and December, authorities said.
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| Eric Cheung, a chemistry teacher at Maria High School on the Southwest Side, has been charged with one count of criminal sexual assault in a case involving one of his female students. Photo by Chicago police |
They said Cheung initially gave out his e-mail address to his students, including the victim, for homework questions. But over time "the communication between the victim and the defendant did progress from e-mails and phone conversations," said Andy Conklin, a spokesman for the Cook County state's attorney's office.
"The conversations changed from teacher-student issues to inappropriate romantic conversations," Conklin said.
After school, he said, Cheung got the student alone in a classroom closet, held and kissed her, put his hands under her clothes and sexually assaulted her.
These encounters allegedly happened about five times between roughly Oct. 15 and Dec. 19, Conklin said.
Cheung allegedly convinced the student to take racy pictures of herself and send them to him. "Some of these pictures were of the victim naked from the waist up," Conklin said.
Authorities learned of Cheung's relationship with the student when "students found e-mail from [Cheung]," Conklin said. He said Maria officials contacted Chicago police and the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services.
A search warrant was executed at Cheung's home, where a cell phone, laptop computer and other digital storage media were discovered, Conklin said. Police, he said, also found instant message and e-mailed exchanges between Cheung and the student.
School officials declined to comment on specific details of the case, but said in a statement they have been cooperating with authorities in the investigation.
Reached by telephone this afternoon, Cheung's family declined to comment.
DCFS spokesman Kendall Marlowe said his agency is investigating an abuse allegation against Cheung. The agency has had no prior contact with him.
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