Chicago Heights teacher charged in Indiana after starting sexual relationship with student in 2002
A teacher at Bloom Trail High School in Chicago Heights was charged in Lake Superior Court Thursday over two decades after allegedly starting a years-long sexual relationship with a student when she was a teen.
Ron Giglio, 48, of Cedar Lake, Indiana, was charged with two counts of Class D Felony child seduction. At maximum, he could face up to six years in prison.
Indiana law allows child sex prosecutions until the victim turns 31, or with exceptions that restart the five-year statute of limitations for a new DNA hit, a confession, or if a new recording surfaces that is enough to charge a suspect.
He is still listed as a teacher on Bloom Trail High School’s website, though a school official said he has been on administrative leave since May 14.
According to the probable cause affidavit, the former student told police that she attended Bloom Trail High School, starting her sophomore year, while living in Schererville. She said Giglio was present during her soccer practices and workouts after school. He would frequently bet her soda or a snack when they kicked the soccer ball around, records state.
The woman said he started touching her, then he started kissing her after a soccer play. It escalated to more frequent kissing and he put his hands down her pants, court records state. When she helped out in his classroom, the two would engage in sexual contact.
On May 3, 2002, when the victim was 17, Giglio drove her home to Schererville because he wanted to see her in her prom dress, the affidavit states. The victim said her parents weren’t home and the pair went inside and had sex after he pushed her onto a bed and got on top of her. Giglio asked if it hurt and if she was OK, records state.
The victim told police that she and Giglio had sex on numerous occasions in Illinois and Indiana. The relationship continued for years until the victim disclosed it to a therapist and she realized what Giglio did was wrong, court records state.
The victim recorded a conversation between Giglio and herself on April 8, 2024. Giglio told her that she was just as much in this as he was, the affidavit states, and told her she was going to ruin his life and make him lose his job.
He and his sister threatened the victim, which she confronted him about. She told him she was a virgin and had never slept with anyone before, records state, and he responded, “you are right, but don’t act like for a second that you didn’t know what you were doing the entire time.”
He then admitted that what he did was wrong, the affidavit states.
Chris Paicely, a spokesman for Bloom Township High School District 206, confirmed Friday that Giglio has been on administrative leave since May 14 and that he had been a teacher and softball coach at the school.
Giglio was suspended when the school district was served with a lawsuit filed in Cook County. It was not immediately clear if it is the same victim. However, the timeframes appear to broadly match the Indiana criminal charges.
The lawsuit accused Giglio of grooming then sexually assaulting the student and alleged that staff and administrators at the school knew or should have known about “the inappropriate sexual relationship” and that the woman was a “victim of a known preventable hazard that school and district officials “created and allowed to continue,” alleging breach of duty by the district.
In the suit, the woman said she suffers severe and permanent emotional distress, including psychological injuries and endured a failed marriage, according to the complaint.
Paicely declined to say how many students had come forward with allegations against Giglio, citing an ongoing investigation.
“Since then, the District has been conducting its internal investigation with the assistance of the District attorney, which is still ongoing,” he wrote in an emailed statement. “This investigation is not related to Giglio’s arrest in Indiana.”
The Daily Southtown contributed.