Former worker at school for disabled students admits to sexual assault
A former Lake County special education teacher's aide accused of sexually assaulting and abusing a disabled student has pleaded guilty to two of 17 charges he faced.
Israel Suaste-Gonzalez, 50, of the 19000 block of Cambridge Road near Mundelein, faces up to 30 years in prison after pleading guilty to two counts of criminal sexual assault. A Lake County judge will decide Suaste-Gonzalez's punishment at a sentencing hearing set for Sept. 14.
The other 15 charges against Suaste-Gonzalez were dropped as part of his guilty plea. Among them were four counts of aggravated criminal sexual assault of a handicapped person and four counts of criminal sex assault by force.
Suaste-Gonzalez committed the crimes from 2016 to 2018 when he was working as a paraprofessional at a Special Education District of Lake County facility in Grayslake. The facility specializes in preparing students 18 to 21 for life beyond high school, and the victim was enrolled at the time.
Prosecutors declined to release the student's age to protect her identity. She reported the attacks in late November 2019, officials said.
The student, who called Suaste-Gonzalez her teacher, said he molested her multiple times at the school, prosecutors said.
The student believed she was required to participate because her "teacher" repeatedly told her so, prosecutors said. The student said Suaste-Gonzalez told her not to tell anyone, officials said.
After the complaint, Suaste-Gonzalez was removed from his position and suspended without pay, pending dismissal, according to SEDOL officials.
Suaste-Gonzalez admitted to police he sexually abused the student at least five times, according to county prosecutors.
Suaste-Gonzalez was arrested and jailed on $2 million bail in December 2019.
In March 2020, the parents of the disabled student Suaste-Gonzalez assaulted sued SEDOL for failing to protect their daughter. The parents' attorney said when the suit was filed that the district failed to enforce its policy that male teachers should never be alone with female students.
In addition, the attorney said the district failed to train staff members about the prevention of sexual abuse, to enforce sexual abuse prevention policies and more.
Tara Devine of Salvi, Schostok & Pritchard P.C., the attorney for the victim's parents, said she believes now that Suaste-Gonzalez has pleaded guilty that the lawsuit will begin to move forward.
"The family is satisfied that he pled guilty," Devine said Friday. "We believe we are going to be able to establish these repeated assaults happened and occurred on SEDOL's watch."
In addition to the sentencing hearing Sept. 14, Suaste-Gonzalez is due before a Lake County judge on Aug. 25 for a status hearing.