MOOSEHEART – Mooseheart officials are trying to deal with the aftermath of sexual assault and abuse charges against one of their former students, stemming from an incident with his classmates at the boarding school.
Abraham Mazon, 17, faces one count of predatory sexual assault and two counts of aggravated sexual abuse. He remained in jail Monday on $500,000 bail.
Court documents allege that Mazon committed sex acts against two girls younger than 13 years old between Jan. 29 and Aug. 11 of this year. He was arrested Aug. 11 after an investigation that began July 31.
The incident occurred on the grounds of Mooseheart Child City and School, located in between Batavia and North Aurora, said Scott Hart, executive director at Mooseheart Child City and School.
Mazon, a student since April 2004, was dismissed from Mooseheart the day of his arrest, Hart said. He was asked to leave the school and sent home to live with his mother in Chicago as soon as the investigation began, he added.
An employee first received a report of the incident July 31, and it was immediately reported to police and the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services.
"It's a very hard issue and a hard subject," Hart said Monday. "This is an alleged crime against someone we know and care for. It's just a difficult time."
He added that counseling staff was available to students at the school.
Hart said Mazon has never been in trouble at the school.
The State's Attorney's Office is handling the investigation and declined to comment Monday. Mazon, who is represented by the Public Defender's Office, is scheduled to appear in court Wednesday. Public Defender David Kliment was unavailable for comment Monday.
DCFS spokesman Jimmie Whitelow confirmed Monday that an investigation involving Mazon was opened July 31 and was pending.
The arrest is not the first involving sexual assault allegations at the school. Jon Scott, a "family teacher," or house parent, at the school, was sentenced in 2003 to prison on multiple sex assault and abuse charges.
Scott remains at Western Illinois Correctional Center, eligible for parole in November 2018, according to the Illinois Department of Corrections Web site.
Hart acknowledged the latest incident at the school brings safety to light, but he wasn't sure yet how school officials will respond.
"We take the safety of our kids extremely seriously," he said. "It's our No. 1 priority. Until we have more information about the allegations and what transpired, it's too premature for us to react. We'll wait until there are more facts and react from there."
Mooseheart School is a private, nonprofit academy for kindergarten through high school students, which was founded and supported by the community-service organization Loyal Order of Moose.