Jury convicts St. Charles driving instructor who skipped his trial

This is part of the warning judges give defendants: if they don’t show up for trial, they can be tried “in absentia,” Latin for “in the absence of.”

That is what happened to Paul Bocska, a St. Charles driving instructor, who didn’t show up for his trial, according to a news release from the Kane County State’s Attorney’s Office.

The trial proceeded without him.

And on Tuesday, a jury found Bocska, 58, a driving instructor for his own company, Drive Now in St. Charles, guilty of four counts of criminal sexual assault and 12 counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse, according to the release.

Judge David Kliment issued an arrest warrant for Bocska when he failed to show up for his trial on April 17.

Anyone with information as to Bocska’s whereabouts is asked to call St. Charles police at 630-377-4435 or the Kane County State’s Attorney’s Office at 630-232-3500.

Bocska’s attorney, Liam Dixon, said he has done trials in absentia before, when clients just didn’t show up.

“We did what we could and we respect the jury’s decision,” Dixon said. “We had a defense and we presented that. We tried to point out all the inconsistencies in the state’s case, but not enough to overcome the fact that Mr. Bocska was not there at the trial.”

As to why his client did not come to his own trial, Dixon said Bocska had sent him message a week prior regarding his having some medical issues.

“But I had no documentation to present to the court,” Dixon said.

Assistant State’s Attorneys Matthew Rodgers and Amanda Busljeta said in court that on multiple occasions in April and May of 2021, Bocska sexually abused the victim, according to the release.

They knew each other because Bocska had been hired as a driving instructor, according to the release.

“The courage of this victim stands in stark contrast to the cowardice of Mr. Bocska,” Rodgers said in the release.

“My thanks to the victim and family, as well as Detectives Murawski and Schuessler of the St. Charles Police Department, ASA Amanda Busljeta, and victim advocate Sheila Gray,” Rodgers said in the release. “I’m encouraging anyone with information about Bocska to come forward so that we he can ensure Bocska is taken into custody and held accountable for these horrendous crimes.”

Bocska had posted $5,000 bail, or 10% of the $50,000 bond that was set.

A sentencing hearing for Bocska is scheduled for June 4.

The most serious of his felony convictions are eight Class 1 felonies – the four counts of criminal sexual assault and four counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse – punishable by four to 15 years in prison and fines up to $25,000.

The other eight counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse.

“I will be there at the sentencing,” Dixon said. “We will present and be filing a motion for a new trial.”