Accused teacher arrested again on harassment charge
The Grant High School teacher who police say paid two teenage students for housework with drugs and alcohol was arrested Thursday for the second time this week, accused of intimidating the family of one of her victims.
Kym Krocza, 41, of the 36000 block of Wilson Road in Ingleside, now faces harassment charges in addition to the charges filed Tuesday of contributing to the delinquency of a juvenile.
Assistant State's Attorney Steve Scheller said that after posting bond on the first set of charges, Krocza intentionally parked and abandoned her car in front of the victim's driveway, blocking anyone from entering and exiting.
The mother of the 14-year-old victim, who originally implicated Krocza, called sheriff's deputies. After Krocza moved the car, deputies contacted the state's attorney's office, which approved harassment charges against her.
Lake County Sheriff Mark Curran said Thursday that despite claims of innocence Krocza has made through the media, she confessed in writing that she gave alcohol, marijuana and Zoloft to two 14-year-old neighborhood teens in exchange for work performed at her house between January and July. The teens later became her students in a Grant High School math class.
"We have the statement where she has admitted to doing this," Curran said. "Somehow, this is being spun out there that there isn't much there. But, it was publicly stated in bond court that there is a two-page written confession that she did this."
Krocza's bond was doubled Thursday from $50,000 to $100,000, Scheller said, requiring her to pay an additional $5,000 to get out of jail. She remained in custody late Thursday afternoon.
During a bond hearing on the second incident, Krocza was ordered to turn in her passport and was prohibited from having any third-party contact regarding the case. She also is prohibited from being in contact with anyone under the age of 21. She already is barred from having contact with witnesses or others involved in the case.
The harassment charge carries a penalty of three to seven years if Krocza is found guilty. She is facing six years if found guilty of the original two counts of contributing to the delinquency of a juvenile.
Krocza is scheduled to return to court at 9 a.m. Friday for a status of attorney hearing. She was not represented by an attorney in bond court Thursday afternoon.
Krocza, a calculus and algebra teacher hired at Fox Lake-based Grant High School District 124 in 2000, is suspended pending an investigation, Superintendent John Benedetti said. Krocza said she is suspended without pay.
Curran said additional charges could be added in the future, pending the results of an ongoing investigation.
"It's unfortunate for these girls that she is playing these games, acting like she is an innocent victim and that the girls trumped all this up about her," Curran said. "She confessed in writing that she did this."