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Lisle dad pleads guilty to harassing daughters’ coach

A Lisle man pleaded guilty to a felony harassment charge Tuesday for threatening to kill a high school volleyball coach who benched his daughter.

John Kasik, 61, was sentenced to 24 months of probation and 20 days in the DuPage County sheriff’s work alternative program. He also was barred from the grounds of Lisle High School for two years, other than to see one of his daughters graduate.

Defense attorney Joseph DiNatale said Kasik was under the influence of alcohol when he threatened Lisle High School varsity volleyball coach Matt Hrubesky in a series of phone calls and text messages after the team lost a regional match in October.

Kasik’s temper flared when one of his daughters was sidelined and replaced by her younger sister, according to his attorney. He said the decision caused tension at home, and Kasik “overreacted.”

“It was an aberration in the conduct of somebody who never did anything (criminal) in his whole life,” DiNatale said, describing Kasik as “gentle” and “very remorseful.”

In exchange for his plea, prosecutors dropped charges alleging Kasik battered Athletic Director Dan Dillard in a confrontation at the school the day after the game.

DiNatale said Kasik had been a coach and special-education teacher for 30 years at Oak Park and River Forest High School and was well-regarded in the local volleyball community. He said Kasik immediately sought treatment for alcohol abuse and attended anger management counseling after his arrest.

Kasik could have faced up to three years in prison if convicted at trial. As part of his plea, he made written apologies to the victims and agreed to consume no alcohol while serving probation. Judge John Kinsella ordered also him to wear an alcohol-monitoring device for at least six months.

“We believed we structured something so that this will never happen again,” DiNatale said of the agreement.

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