Sex offender admits working at Batavia school, gets 4 years

A convicted sex offender who was working in a Batavia Middle School cafeteria last month unexpectedly pleaded guilty and was sentenced to four years in prison.

Gary L. Gasper, 41, of 118 W. Chicago St., Elgin, was due for a routine court hearing Thursday.

Instead, Gasper -- who was convicted of first-degree sexual assault of a 9-year-old boy in Wisconsin in the 1990s -- admitted to unlawful presence on school grounds, a felony.

Prosecutor Mark Stajdohar said because of Gasper's prior convictions -- which also included failure to register as a sex offender -- he was eligible for an extended sentence of up to six years in prison.

Stajdohar said Gasper's sentence was "appropriate" and credited observant secretaries at Rotolo Middle School for becoming suspicious when he didn't want to sign in when reporting to the school in early November as a temporary food service worker.

The secretaries reported Gasper to the school liaison police officer, who did a background check.

"We're always thankful when citizens step up to the plate," Stajdohar said.

After Gasper's arrest Nov. 12, Batavia police and District 101 officials investigated and retraced Gasper's whereabouts.

They concluded he did not have any contact with students during three days at Rotolo and one day at Batavia High School.

Gasper was hired by a temporary employment firm under contract by the school district's food service provider, Sodexho.

Now, Sodexho will use temporary workers only in emergency situations and their employees must pass Batavia's more complete system of background checks. The district also will require all workers to apply for and display district ID cards.

After his 1992 conviction in Green Lake County in central Wisconsin, Gasper was released from prison in August 2000, according to the Wisconsin Department of Corrections.

In 2005, he was arrested by Elgin police for failure to notify authorities of a change of address, court records show. He pleaded guilty in 2006 and served a year in prison.

Gasper has been at the Kane County jail for 23 days and is eligible for day-for-day credit while in prison, meaning he could be released in a little less than two years.

Judge Timothy Sheldon approved the sentence and guilty plea.