COOK COUNTY CRIMINAL COURTHOUSE — The dean of operations at Bradwell School of Excellence is accused of raping a 14-year-old student on campus.
According to prosecutors, 29-year-old Stanley Carothers first raped the eighth-grader in March 2016 when she was sent to his office for "disciplinary matters."
Over the next several months, authorities said, the pair would exchange sexually explicit Facebook messages and have sex at Carothers' apartment and inside the South Shore elementary school at 7736 S. Burnham Ave.
The Chicago Police Department launched an investigation in November after the girl told a relative what happened. According to a CPS spokesman, Carothers had left Bradwell and was working at the Dulles School of Excellence on Nov. 10, when he was removed from his position.
Following an internal hearing, CPS suspended Carothers indefinitely without pay starting Nov. 22, the spokesman said. He noted that CPS is "committed to supporting law enforcement as its investigation proceeds."
Carothers is charged with criminal sexual assault.
Defense attorney Frank Kostouros on Tuesday was quick to maintain his client's innocence — claiming the alleged victim recently sent Carothers a Facebook message apologizing for fabricating the rape allegations.
"This is basically a he-said, she-said issue," Kostouros said.
Carothers has no prior criminal history, according to Kostouros, and there's no physical evidence or corroborating witnesses to back up the girl's allegations. What more, Kostouros said, the girl is known for her "irate, uncontrollable" behavior at school.
It all began in March 2016 when Carothers and the girl began chatting via Facebook, Assistant State's Attorney Jullian Brevard said during a bond hearing Tuesday.
Carothers initially used a Facebook account under the name "Stanley Carothers," prosecutors said, but soon asked the girl to message him at a profile for "Trey Carter." Authorities would later link both accounts to the same IP address and Carothers' iPhone 7.
The girl was called into Carothers' office in March for "disciplinary matters," Brevard said. Carothers is accused of groping the girl in his office before taking her to a separate room and raping her.
Over the next eight months, prosecutors said, Carothers and the girl shared a series of sexually explicit Facebook messages and frequently had sex at both Carothers' Hyde Park apartment and inside Bradwell School of Excellence. Carothers used his building key for summer access.
Carothers denied ever bringing students to his house, Brevard said, but the girl was able to tell police where the dean lived. Authorities later uncovered multiple Facebook messages between Carothers and the girl.
The girl detailed "various incidents" in handwritten statements on Nov. 7 and Dec. 22, prosecutors said.
According to Kostouros, Carothers has a master's degree from the University of Phoenix and has spent his entire career with CPS. He is single and provides for his mother. This is his first arrest.
Cook County Judge Peggy Chiampas on Tuesday said Carothers could be released on his own recognizance if the Cook County Sheriff's Office agrees to provide electronic monitoring. If not, Carothers will be responsible for $150,000 bail. He can also avoid electronic monitoring all together by posting $15,000, or 10 percent of his bail amount.