Ex-Lake Villa counselor gets prison for molestation

A former counselor at the Gateway Foundation addiction treatment center in Lake Villa was sentenced to four years in prison Monday for having a sexual relationship with a former teenage client.

Lori Zolno, 33, pleaded guilty to attempted criminal sexual assault during a hearing before Circuit Judge Victoria Rossetti.

Zolno was a counselor at Gateway from July 2000 until she was fired May 8, 2007 for reasons that Gateway officials would not discuss.

Lake County Assistant State's Attorney Victor O'Block said Zolno served as a counselor for a 16-year-old boy who was a patient at Gateway from December 2006 until May 23, 2007.

The boy was transferred to an Illinois Department and Family Services center in Chicago, but ran away from that facility and called Zolno.

Zolno went to Chicago to pick him up and returned with him to her home at 293 Joanna Court, Apt. 101, Antioch.

On June 25, 2007, the boy's DCFS counselor became aware of the situation and called Antioch police who went to Zolno's home.

Zolno originally denied the boy was there, but after she allowed an officer to search the apartment the boy was found hiding in a closet.

Zolno admitted she and the boy had been having sex while he was living with her, police said.

She was originally charged with criminal sexual assault, obstruction of justice and harboring a runaway.

However, O'Block agreed to amend the most serious charge and dismiss the others in exchange for Zolno's guilty plea.

Rossetti told Zolno she will have to register as a sex offender and will be on parole for the rest of her life as a result of the conviction.