State's attorney's office drops U-46 sunglasses theft case

Relief doesn't begin to describe it for the Raymond family.

A week after Elgin police told Rochell Raymond her 13-year-old daughter Olivia had been accused - through a felony theft charge - of stealing a teacher's sunglasses, the Kane County State's Attorney's office has stopped the case from moving forward.

"We have to prove intent to permanently deprive the owner of their property. I don't think we could prove that," First Assistant State's Attorney Jody Gleason said.

Rochell Raymond said she received the news Monday morning.

"Now this nightmare is over for my daughter and now we can start moving on and going onto healing," the Bartlett mother said.

That "nightmare" at Ellis Middle School began May 6.

Raymond said she got a call at her workplace in Niles about 11:30 a.m. from Elgin police informing her that her daughter had been arrested, fingerprinted and photographed by police, suspended from school and stripped of her privileges to attend eighth-grade activities. Rochell Raymond said Olivia told her she found a pair of sunglasses on top of her book bag, asked others - including her first-period teacher - to whom they belonged, and couldn't immediately determine who owned the glasses.

Not wanting to be late to her next class, she took the glasses with her, planning to put them on a table in front of the main office before lunch. But just a few minutes into second period, Rochell Raymond said, orchestra teacher Linda Szybeko came into Olivia's class, said the sunglasses were hers and accused Olivia of stealing them.

After being called down to the main office, Olivia was told she would be suspended for theft and Szybeko might want to file criminal charges.

Rochell Raymond said she has repeatedly offered to pay for any damage that might have occurred to the teacher's sunglasses.

After the family spoke with Superintendent Jose Torres, Assistant Superintendent Greg Walker and Chief of Staff Barb Bonner, the suspension was wiped from Olivia's record and her eighth-grade privileges reinstated.

Last week, several people expressed concern to the U-46 board about the handling of the matter.

"We as a board are asking those same questions and are looking into it. Until those are answered, we won't speak about it," school board President Ken Kaczynski said.

Rochell Raymond said she learned May 17 that Olivia had been formally charged. Deputy Police Chief Cecil Smith confirmed last Tuesday that a 13-year-old Ellis Middle School student was charged, the matter was referred to juvenile services in Geneva.

Torres said he was "outraged" that a 13-year-old had been arrested on such a charge.

Szybeko has not returned multiple phone calls from the Daily Herald seeking comment.

Gleason said she had "never had any conversation with the teacher."

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<li><a href="/story/?id=381610"> U-46 eighth-grader formally charged with felony theft <span class="date">[05/18/10]</span></a></li>

<li><a href="/story/?id=380353">Elgin mom accuses U-46 of violating daughter's rights <span class="date">[05/13/10]</span></a></li>

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