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	Teacher Charged with Sex Assault of Student By Rummana Hussain Chicago Sun-Times January 12, 2009 http://www.suntimes.com/news/24-7/1373207,w-teacher-sex-assault-011209.article A chemistry teacher at an all-girls Southwest Side Catholic high school has been charged with criminal sexual assault against a student with whom he allegedly started an inappropriate relationship. Eric Cheung, 24, a teacher at Maria High School, had given all students his e-mail address for homework questions and started corresponding with the victim, who is between 16 and 17. At first the communication between the two was a normal teacher-student relationship but soon the e-mail messages turned to a more "inappropriate romantic" nature," Cook County State's Attorney's spokeswoman Tandra Simonton said. Between Oct. 15, 2008 and Dec. 19, 2008, Cheung took the girl in his classroom closet after school where he kissed her, put his hand under her shirt and sexually assaulted her, Simonton said. Cheung, who was ordered held in lieu of $500,000 bail Saturday, attacked the girl five times between that time period, Simonton said. Cheung convinced the student to take pictures of herself, including a shot where she was naked from the waist up, and then had her send it to him, according to Simonton. He also engaged in lewd behavior when the two communicated via their Web cams on their personal computers, Simonton said. Cheung was arrested Friday in his home in the of the 900 block of North Paulina Street after other students discovered the e-mails and alerted school officials. The Illinois Department of Children and Family Services have been contacted. Archdiocese of Chicago officials could not be reached for comment this afternoon. Contact: rhussain@suntimes.com
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