Counselor accused of having sex with underage boy

A 41-year-old Grayslake woman is accused of having sex with a boy who formerly received counseling from her at a treatment center for at-risk youths and families.

Noelle Howlett, 41, of 662 Swan Drive, Apt. 2B, was held on a $50,000 bond Thursday at the Lake County jail in Waukegan. She was charged Monday with five counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse.

Grayslake police Cmdr. Matt McCutcheon said Howlett met the 16-year-old boy on her job as a residential counselor at Alternative Behavior Treatment Centers near Mundelein. The underage teen was released from the Fairfield Road facility in September.

McCutcheon said Howlett and the boy, who had returned to his Chicago home, arranged to meet sometime within the last month at a Grayslake Metra commuter rail depot where she picked him up in her car. Authorities said Howlett drove the boy to Libertyville.

"They engaged in sex in her car," McCutcheon said.

Police said the willing boy stayed overnight in Howlett's apartment before returning home. Officials said the teen was a habitual runaway.

McCutcheon said Howlett's husband learned of the incident, then called the victim and his mother Oct. 11 to tell them he and his wife were HIV-positive and had hepatitis C. Police said the parents quickly brought the boy to Rush University Medical Center in Chicago for testing.

Rush officials alerted Grayslake police about the tests, which turned out to be negative, McCutcheon said.

"We sent a detective to Chicago and it went from there," he said.

Authorities said Howlett made statements that led to the charges against her. McCutcheon said the husband admitted he concocted the story about the HIV and hepatitis C "out of spite."

Alternative Behavior Treatment Chief Executive Officer Robin McGinnis said Howlett passed a background check and was hired in December 2007. She said Howlett, a former school bus driver, has been suspended from her job pending further disciplinary action.