79-Year-Old Batavia School Bus Aide Charged With Sexual Abuse
A school bus aide who is employed by a company that contracts with Batavia Public School District 101 faces criminal charges for allegedly having sexual contact with a student.
Ronald A. Spychalski
The Kane County State’s Attorney’s Office has charged 79-year-old Ronald A. Spychalski with the offenses of:
- Aggravated criminal sexual abuse, a Class 2 felony.
- Sexual exploitation of a child, a Class 4 felony.
Kane County prosecutors allege that on Aug. 27, 2019, Spychalski sexually abused the victim, who is younger than 13 years old. The act occurred on a school bus. Another child on the bus heard the victim talk about the incident and told her parents, who contacted Batavia school officials.
According to Batavia school officials, Spychalski works as a bus monitor and is employed by Illinois Central School Bus Co., which is contracted with Batavia Public School District 101.
Spychalski appeared Thursday (Aug. 29, 2019) in Kane County bond court. Kane County Associate Judge Keith Johnson set Spychalski’s bail at $50,000, with 10 percent ($5,000) to apply for bond. If Spychalski posts bond, he is to have no contact with the victim and no unsupervised contact with anyone younger than 18.
Johnson set Spychalski’s next court appearance for 9 a.m. Sept. 13, 2019, in Courtroom 305 at the Kane County Judicial Center.
If convicted of the most serious offense, Spychalski faces a sentence of probation or between three and seven years’ imprisonment in the Illinois Department of Corrections.
In addition, Spychalski would have to register for life as a sexual offender in accordance with the Illinois Sexual Offender Registration Act.
The Kane County Child Advocacy Center investigated the case with assistance from the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services and the Batavia Police Department.
The charges against Spychalski are not proof of guilt. Spychalski is presumed innocent and is entitled to a fair trial in which it is the state’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
SOURCE: Kane County State’s Attorney’s Office news release
