Bond set for teacher charged with criminal sexual assault

by: Gregory Pratt

A popular Tinley Park High School teacher was charged with criminal sexual assault after allegedly having sex with a student, prosecutors said in court this afternoon.

Tinley Park police arrested Ryan Dolan, 29, of Tinley Park, Saturday. A Will County judge set Dolan’s bond at $250,000 during a hearing in Joliet. Prosecutors said additional charges were possible.

“We’re incredibly shocked,” Bremen High School District 228 Superintendent Bill Kendall said after the court hearing. He sat in the front row of the courtroom gallery with Tinley Park H.S. Principal Theresa Nolan.

Dolan is “very popular” at the school and had been a high-energy person, Kendall said. Dolan coached three sports at Tinley Park H.S., including wrestling.

The district learned about the situation Saturday. Kendall said the district had no inkling beforehand and has been in contact with the alleged victim.

Dolan’s family attended the hearing but, through their attorney, declined to comment.

Dolan grew up in Midlothian and graduated from the University of Illinois, where he studied history and economics, his defense attorney said.

The alleged victim, a female, is younger than 18, attorneys said in court. An element of the charge of criminal sexual assault includes consideration that the suspect holds a position of trust, authority and supervision over the victim, police said.

As a condition of his bond, Dolan is not allowed to return to the school or have contact with anyone under 18 except in the presence of another adult.

Source: chicagotribune