Mundelein High School volleyball coach charged with photographing, recording minor
A teacher and volleyball coach at Mundelein High School has been charged with making an unauthorized video recording of a student.
Dagoberto Diaz, 48, was charged with one count of unauthorized video recording of a victim under 18, authorities said. He appeared in court Wednesday and was released from custody pending trial, with conditions including no contact with minors and no visits to schools, parks, or daycares.
On Aug. 18, Mundelein School District 75 and 120 notified local police about an incident involving Diaz, the junior varsity volleyball coach at Mundelein High School.
A student told school officials that the coach had brought her into a room to do stretching and jumping exercises, and she noticed the coach was holding his cellphone and saw a flash from the phone, leading her to believe he was videotaping her, Mundelein police said.
Mundelein police tracked down Diaz, also a teacher at the school, and conducted a forensic analysis on his cellphone, police said. The analysis turned up several images and videos that corroborated the student's suspicion that he was photographing her, police said.
On Tuesday, police executed a search warrant at Diaz's home and arrested him at the home of a family member in Mundelein.
Students at the school Wednesday said the atmosphere inside is unsettled in the wake of the charges.
"Definitely does feel a little bit weirder. A lot of people are talking about it," said student Christian Saucedo.
He said Diaz was his basketball coach in middle school and he's known him since he was in the seventh grade,
"Everybody was very shocked. Never saw any weird behavior or anything like that," he said.
In a statement, officials with the school district wrote in part, "We are also incredibly proud of the students who demonstrated the courage to speak up when something did not feel right… The district will take all necessary steps to pursue termination of his employment."
District officials said Diaz was placed on leave on the same day the incident was reported. The district is working to fire him.
Anyone with more information on the incident is asked to call Mundelein police at 847-968-4600.
Meantime, an Illinois state lawmaker said those convicted of secretly recording children for sexual purposes should have to register as a sex offender.
"I worked very hard on that piece of legislation, because it's to protect children," said Illinois state Sen. Darby Hills (R-Barrington Hills).
Mundelein High School is in Hills' district. She has introduced legislation to close what she calls a gap in Illinois state law.
"When I learned about this gap in Illinois law, where the act of videotaping children for sexual purposes was not treated that way under the law, and that those individuals didn't have to register as a sex offender, I introduced Senate Bill 2381," she said.
The legislation would require adults convicted of recording a child to register as a sex offender when the crime is sexually motivated.
"As a former prosecutor, this needs to be handled. This needs to become law and make sure that we are protecting children," Hills said.
The legislation has been passed out of committee, but has yet to receive a vote by the full Illinois Senate.
