Aurora teacher abuse case idle after 3 years
Robert Steck was supposed to stand trial today on charges he molested three young boys. But three years apparently hasn't been long enough for him to prepare.
The former Aurora middle-school teacher and coach filed papers Friday to replace his defense attorney, Fred Morelli, claiming "inadequate work" had been done on his case in the 38 months since he was charged.
Judge Allen M. Anderson granted the motion, contingent on Steck having a new attorney in court today to pick up discovery materials and get cracking. The judge noted it was essentially "the eve" of Steck's trial, which "could suggest an effort at avoiding the trial not for legitimate reasons but for putting it off."
Steck responded by blaming his attorney. "I don't believe the effort has been there," he said.
Steck, 40, of the 900 block of Shady Lane, Aurora, coached basketball and wrestling as a former teacher at Cowherd Middle School. He was charged in October 2006 with more than a dozen sex offenses, including aggravated criminal sexual abuse, involving a trio of boys, at the time between the ages of 11 and 14.
Steck's jury trial initially was set for Aug. 17, when it was postponed until today, according to court documents. Kane County Assistant State's Attorney Christine Bayer objected to further delays, saying the victims are ready to get the ordeal over with.
Morelli did not respond to Steck's vote of no confidence in court, other than to acknowledge, "It puts us in an awkward situation."
Anderson appeared reluctant to grant the motion, and warned that if Steck arrived Monday with no legal counsel, his motion would be denied.
"The defendant is entitled to the attorney of his choice," Anderson said. "On the other hand, the state has a right to have this go to trial."
Holiday traffic: Campton Hills police kept busy around Thanksgiving, writing 109 tickets in a holiday traffic campaign.
The majority of those citations were handed out for speeding (36) and seat belt (43) violations. Three people were charged with driving under the influence.
The campaign to reduce crashes involving deaths and injuries took place over 17 days, and was the first of several being funded by a $17,400 grant from the Illinois Department of Transportation. On average, officers wrote about six tickets a day.
Oops factor: Here's a bit of irony plucked from a Geneva police report:
Kevin J. Clayton, 39, of Yorkville, was locked out one minute, and locked up the next.
Clayton's misfortune began about 4:50 p.m. Nov. 24 when he locked himself out of a running vehicle on Simpson Street and called the police for help.
It didn't take long for a responding officer to run Clayton's name through a police database and turn up a Kendall County arrest warrant for failure to appear in court.
Police did open Clayton's car, but only to turn it off. Then, he got a ride to the Kendall County jail.
jstockinger@dailyherald.com