COOK COUNTY CRIMINAL COURTHOUSE — An elementary school teacher has been charged with soliciting a 12-year-old student.
According to prosecutors, Vianey Zavala was the victim's 7th grade teacher during the 2012-2013 school year. At the time, Zavala was 40 and the boy was 12.
Zavala, now 44, became "very involved" in the victim's life — buying him clothing, paying his cellphone bill and taking his family on trips, Assistant State's Attorney April Gonzales said during a bond hearing Thursday.
In 2013, witnesses noticed that Zavala and the boy often held hands or hugged, prosecutors said. Zavala would also allegedly pick up the victim from school but would not bring him home for hours. The pair often texted, Gonzales said, and the behavior continued until 2015.
In January 2015, a witness found nude and partially nude photos and videos of Zavala on the boy's phone, prosecutors said. Texts from Zavala mentioned oral sex, Gonzales added.
Zavala, who lives in suburban Orland Park, is charged with indecent solicitation of a child and grooming, a felony crime in which someone uses electronic means to solicit sexual activity from a minor.
Gonzales said Zavala taught at an elementary school, but did not specify which one. Court records list the school address as 5050 S. Homan Ave., which corresponds with UNO Soccer Academy. Calls to UNO went unanswered Thursday.
Cook County Judge James Brown said Zavala could be released on her own recognizance if the Cook County Sheriff's Office provides electronic monitoring.
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