Former Braidwood teachers' sex crime cases still pending in court

The criminal cases filed against two former Braidwood teachers charged with sex crimes against children are still pending in court.

Dayna K. Chidester, 51, of Manhattan, was charged Jan. 4 with sexually abusing a 14-year-old boy, and Kevin W. Macha, 29, of Joliet, was charged Dec. 5 with possession of child pornography.

Both are former teachers for Reed-Custer School District 255 in Braidwood. Macha resigned from the district Dec. 12 and Chidester resigned before she was charged in January, according to school officials.

Since then, Will County Judge Amy Bertani-Tomczak granted a motion from Chidester’s attorney, Steve Haney, for her bond to be modified so she could attend classes at Joliet Junior College, court records show.

Chidester also was allowed limited internet access to gain employment, handle finances and for educational purposes, court records show.

Bertani-Tomczak ordered Chidester to continue to refrain from having contact with minors.

She also granted a motion from Macha’s attorney, Donald DeWilkins, for his bond to be modified so that he could deactivate his Facebook page, apply for jobs and bank online.

Calls to Haney and DeWilkins were not returned Friday.

Prosecutors said Chidester engaged in a sexual relationship with a 14-year-old boy who was not a student at Reed-Custer High School. The two communicated with each other via text messages that became sexual in nature, and Chidester and the boy also exchanged nude photos of themselves, prosecutors said.

Macha is accused of possessing an image of a fully nude child “bound and blindfolded” and “portrayed or depicted as bound, fettered or subject to sadistic, masochistic or sadomasochistic abuse,” according to the charges.

Kathy Hoffmeyer, spokeswoman for the Will County Sheriff’s Office, said Macha used Tumblr to share child pornography.

Macha worked as a music teacher for District 255 and was a Joliet American Legion Band director.