South Suburban Middle School Teacher Charged With Abusing Former Students
A Joliet junior high school teacher who formerly taught at a southwest suburban junior high has been charged with sexually abusing two former students over the course of more than two years, according to the Office of Cook County State’s Attorney Anita Alvarez.
Cara Labus, 30, of Joliet, has been charged with four counts of Aggravated Criminal Sexual Abuse in connection with incidents that occurred between 2008 and 2011 in Orland Park with two victims who were between the ages of 14 and 16 when the crimes took place.
According to prosecutors, Labus came to know the victims while she was employed as a teacher and basketball coach at Jerling Junior High School in Orland Park.  After the victims graduated from junior high, Labus kept in contact with them and from December 2008 through February 2011 she is alleged to have engaged in various sex acts with the victims on several occasions. During the summer of 2014, one of the victims told a friend about the abuse and then filed a police report in December of 2014. Around that same time, the other victim made an outcry to the first victim regarding abuse by Labus during the same time frame.
Labus is currently employed at Hufford Junior High School in Joliet. She was arrested by Orland Park Police Jan. 21.
Bond was set for Labus at $150,000 during a hearing today before Judge Kerry Kennedy at the Cook County Criminal Courthouse in Bridgeview.  Judge Kennedy also ordered that Labus be placed on electronic home monitoring and that she not have contact with either victim or anyone under 18 years of age unless supervised. Labus’ next court date is Feb. 23, 2015.
The public is reminded that criminal charging documents contain allegations that are not evidence of guilt. The defendant is presumed innocent and is entitled to a fair trial at which the state has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
