http://www.chicagobreakingnews.com/2009/05/maine-east-teacher-charged-with-sexual-abuse.html
Teacher charged with having sex with student
Carlos Sadovi and John Keilman
May 25, 2009 2:03 PM
A Maine East High School teacher was held on $50,000 bond today after she was charged with having sex and an eight-month affair with an underage former student.
Jennifer Espinosa, 38, of Park Ridge, appeared in bond court in Skokie charged with two counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse, said Cook County Sheriff Thomas J. Dart in a press release.
Espinosa, a science and special education teacher, allegedly told police she had an eight-month relationship with the 16-year-old boy, who was expelled from the school in September. [
B]The teen is an alleged member of the Sureno 13 gang[/B], according to the release.
The teacher allegedly told police she "loves" the boy, the release said.
Espinosa was arrested after sheriff's police picked her up Saturday evening at the Golf Terrace Apartments in the 9600 block of North Golf Terrace in Des Plaines. They were patrolling the area because of reports of recent gang and drug activity, according to the release.
As police drove behind Espinosa's car, a 2009 Honda Pilot, police smelled marijuana. After pulling over the vehicle, Espinosa told police she was a Maine East teacher.
Police recognized the 16-year-old and a 22-year-old also in the car as gang members, and after a canine unit detected drugs in the vehicle, it was searched. A bag of marijuana was found, and
Alejandro Landi, 22, of Niles, was later charged with misdemeanor drug possession.
After questioning, Espinosa told police she had been a teacher and mentor to the 16-year-old b
oy before he was expelled. She told police their relationship began after he left the school, according to the release.
Espinosa, a
married mother of two children, told police
she and the boy had sex numerous times, both in her home and in her car near the school. She is a former soccer coach at the school, the release said.
Joel Morris, superintendent of Maine Township High School District 207, said Espinosa will be reassigned to new duties outside of the classroom until the district finishes its own investigation.
Her next court date is set for May 29.