Lake County counselor charged with sex abuse of teen client
A 51-year-old Waukegan man employed as a program director at a Lake County youth home faces charges of criminal sexual assault and aggravated criminal sexual abuse alleging he had a sexual encounter outside the Woodfield Mall with a 16-year-old former resident.
Kelvin A. Perry, of the 4100 block of Brentwood Lane, appeared Wednesday in Cook County court, where a judge set his bond at $200,000, according to authorities.
Perry is an employee of Allendale Association, a Lake Villa-based not-for-profit agency serving children with emotional and behavioral disabilities through residential and outpatient programs.
Mary Shahbazian, Allendale's executive director, said Perry has been placed on unpaid leave.
"It's devastating," she said of the allegations. "We and everyone here want to keep kids safe."
Shahbazian said the teenage girl involved in the allegations is not currently an Allendale resident, but Perry at one time worked in the unit where she formerly lived. She said Perry has been with Allendale for at least 15 years, and this is the first time the agency has become aware of possibly inappropriate conduct by him.
Perry was charged late Tuesday after a Schaumburg police investigation into the allegations, Sgt. John Nebl said in a news release.
According to police, Perry met with the teenage girl at the Schaumburg mall, and the two engaged in a sex act in his vehicle.
The teen, who is a ward of the state, told her foster mother Feb. 9 about the encounter, and she reported it to Schaumburg police.
Following a thorough investigation, police said, the case was brought to the Cook County State's Attorney's Office, which on Tuesday filed the charges.
Cynthia Trujillo-Vargas, spokeswoman for the Lake County States Attorney's Office, said Waukegan Police are investigating the issue, but no charges have been filed against Perry in Lake County at this time.
If found guilty of the sexual assault charge, Perry would face a maximum four to 15 years in prison. Aggravated criminal sexual abuse is punishable by three to seven years in prison.