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Chicago Tribune
17-06-2025
- Chicago Tribune
Downers Grove teacher faces additional charges related to sex abuse case
A Downers Grove South High School teacher accused of sexually abusing a student faces dozens of additional charges after authorities said the alleged abuse was more widespread than initially believed. Christina Formella, 30, now faces a total of 55 counts, including multiple counts of criminal sexual assault, aggravated criminal sexual abuse, indecent solicitation of a child and grooming, which were revealed in DuPage County Circuit Court on Tuesday. Formella initially was charged with one count of criminal sexual assault and two counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse after she was arrested by the Downers Grove Police Department in March. Formella was arraigned Tuesday on the 52 additional counts and entered a plea of not guilty. Prosecutor Jaclyn McAndrew asked that Formella be detained under the SAFE-T Act now that additional charges have been brought against her, but that request was denied. McAndrew unsuccessfully argued that Formella posed a risk to not only the student she abused but other students, noting she lives in close proximity to the high school. According to prosecutors, Formella groomed the boy when he was 14 years old, lured him into a false sense of security, suggested they had a sexual relationship and physically, emotionally, mentally and psychologically abused the child. McAndrew told the court that Formella had sex with the boy at least 45 times, including at school, during school hours and at her home. The pattern of abuse lasted almost two years, she said. '(Formella) knew what she was doing was wrong,' McAndrew said. Formella also convinced the boy to turn off his location on his cellphone and made the boy feel guilty or shamed, McAndrew said. '(Formella) is unbelievably conniving and unbelievably controlling,' McAndrew said. McAndrew said when Formella was initially granted pre-trial release in March, it was believed that it was an isolated incident. However, investigators have since discovered 'hundreds if not thousands of text messages' that corroborate the boy's side of the story, she said. McAndrew argued before the court that no conditions could mitigate the threat that Formella poses for the community or the victim. Formella was released after her first pre-trial detention hearing in March and ordered not to have any contact with the victim or children. Her attorney, Richard Kayne, argued that Formella has complied with the conditions placed upon her in March and there are no threats to anyone in the community. He said that Formella was indicted on the additional charges May 20, but they weren't unsealed until Tuesday. If Formella were a threat, then prosecutors should have made their case sooner, he said. On Tuesday, Judge Mia McPherson called the case 'horrifying in nature,' 'shocking' and 'appalling,' but she agreed that the community at large is not threatened by Formella. She said she is concerned about the boy that Formella is accused of abusing and believed there could be additional conditions placed on Formella to ensure she has no other contact with the child. As part of the judge's orders, Formella is required to have electronic monitoring software placed on her cellphones, tablets and computers and her emails and electronic communications monitored to ensure she has no contact with the boy. Formella was also ordered to wear a GPS monitor to ensure she did not go to the victim's home, school or work, McPherson said. Formella cannot leave Illinois without court permission and must surrender her passport. She is not allowed entry to Downers Grove South High School and may not have any contact with minors. Formella faces 60 years in prison if convicted, prosecutors said. The boy and his mother went to the Downers Grove Police Department in March to report the inappropriate sexual conduct after the boy's mom discovered text messages on his cellphone.
Chicago Tribune
17-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Chicago Tribune
Detective from Naperville competes on new Fox reality TV show: ‘It was wild'
Derek North has long harbored unfinished business on the television screen. Now, he's seeing those aspirations through — one nationally aired episode at a time. North, a Naperville resident and detective with the Downers Grove Police Department, is a contestant on 'The Snake,' a new FOX-TV reality competition show. Hosted by comedian Jim Jefferies, the series is a test of social survival, the network says. 'Man, it was wild,' North said in an interview. 'It was wild.' The cornerstone of the series is that instead of eliminating contestants like your typical competition show, who stays and who goes is determined through something called a 'saving ceremony,' where contestants save one another until one person is left unpicked and goes home. The idea is contestants need to work to win each other's favor to stay in the game. The catch? The cast is composed of contestants who work in various persuasive professions. Contestants include an ex-con, a pastor, a lawyer, a poker player and Naperville's own, North. 'The Snake' premiered last week with 15 contestants. North successfully made it through the first saving ceremony and was poised to return screens this week. New episodes air at 8 p.m. Tuesdays and are available to stream on Hulu. North, who spoke last week while sitting down for coffee in downtown Naperville, couldn't say how he fared in the competition overall but called the experience 'incredible.' It's also been a long time coming, he said. North, 39, grew up about 45 minutes south of Naperville in Manhattan. He went to high school in New Lenox and college in Indiana, where he majored in media arts production and minored in theater. After graduating, he moved home before setting out to California to shoot a movie called '1313: Giant Killer Bees!' From there, he stuck around the Golden State to pursue acting, he said. While he auditioned for different roles, North landed a job at Sunset Tower Hotel in West Hollywood. He'd meet celebrities there, he said. His most memorable interaction was with Keanu Reeves, of 'The Matrix' and 'John Wick,' he said. But then his father suffered a spinal stroke, North said. Needing a gig to help support his family back home, he turned to reality TV. The pursuit, however, was a difficult one. He'd audition and have projects 'almost take off' but not quite go all the way, he said. Eventually, he moved back to Illinois to be closer to family. When he did, he left the reality TV world behind, he said. He changed careers, trained to become a police officer, married and started a family. 'I found the love of my life, I found my wife,' North said. They have a 1-year-old daughter. Then, out of nowhere, North was contacted by a producer from one of the reality shows he previously auditioned for that hadn't moved forward, he said. 'They were like, 'Hey, we're making this new show. We're wondering if you'd be interested in trying out for it,'' North said. 'I asked them to send me the details because I'm having a great life here (in Naperville).' When he looked at what the show was about, North knew the opportunity was the one he had been waiting for. He recalled thinking to himself, 'I can win that.' '(Reality TV) was totally off my radar,' he said. 'I left that, you know? But I'm competitive. And I had unfinished business. I always had that in me.' North went through more than a dozen auditions and interviews before getting cast on 'The Snake,' he said. Once he knew he'd be a contestant, North said he prepared by watching episodes of reality shows that he thought 'The Snake' might be similar to, including 'Survivor,' 'The Traitors' and 'Fear Factor.' Since the show premiered on June 10, 'it's been really cool,' North said. Looking ahead, he teased that the rest of the season is 'going to be a lot of fun,' he said. Apart from official results, North said competing on 'The Snake' showed him that 'if things don't work at one point in your life, that's not the end of it.' 'For this to come so much later in my life after I was working so hard for so long, sometimes you just got to trust the ride,' he said. 'That's just life.'
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Yahoo
Second juvenile charged in Downers Grove armed robbery: prosecutors
The Brief A 17-year-old Aurora boy has been charged in an April armed robbery in Downers Grove. The victim was robbed at gunpoint by a group who took $110. One of the teens was arrested in Colorado and returned to DuPage County. DOWNERS GROVE, Ill. - A second teenager has been charged in connection with an armed robbery that targeted a woman walking alone in Downers Grove last month, authorities said. What we know The 17-year-old boy, a Venezuelan national living in Aurora, appeared in court Thursday morning for a detention hearing. A judge ordered him held until at least his next court appearance, according to the DuPage County State's Attorney's Office. He is charged with one count of armed robbery with a firearm, a Class X felony, stemming from a robbery that occurred just after 8:30 p.m. on April 22 in the 4900 block of Forest Avenue. The backstory Downers Grove police said a woman was walking alone when she was approached by four people. One of them tried to grab her purse while another lifted his shirt to show a handgun in his waistband and shouted, "Money, money." The woman handed over $110 before the group fled, according to prosecutors. Further investigation led to one juvenile being charged on Thursday and another juvenile who was found to be living in Colorado, according to the state's attorney. A judge issued an arrest warrant for the juvenile in Colorado on May 7. The juvenile was then brought back to DuPage County on May 16 to face charges. What they're saying "The apprehension of a second individual allegedly involved in the armed robbery of an innocent woman as she was walking home demonstrates DuPage County law enforcement's commitment to the safety of our residents, communities and businesses," DuPage County State's Attorney Robert Berlin said. "As I said when this juvenile's co-respondent was charged, lawlessness is not who we are in DuPage County and anyone who chooses to engage in the type of behavior as alleged in this case will be held accountable. Again, I commend the Downers Grove Police Department for their efforts in the identification and apprehension of a second suspect in this case. I also thank Assistant State's Attorney Nick Catizone for his efforts in preparing a strong case against both juvenile suspects." "I am pleased that we were able to bring this investigation of a serious violent crime that occurred near our downtown business district to a conclusion with the arrests of two offenders for armed robbery," Downers Grove Chief of Police Michael DeVries said. "I commend our Investigations Unit for their diligence over several weeks to identify and apprehend all offenders related to this incident. I would like to thank DuPage County State's Attorney Robert Berlin and his office, as well as the Aurora Police Department for their assistance with the investigation.
CBS News
26-04-2025
- CBS News
Police seek information after 2 men robbed at gunpoint in Downers Grove
Downers Grove police are asking the public for information after two men were robbed at gunpoint Friday evening. Officers responded to the 1600 block of 75th Street for a report of an armed robbery around 8 p.m. Preliminary information indicated that the men were robbed of cash and their cell phones. The suspect was identified as a Black male of unknown age, standing at 6 feet tall, with a muscular build and shoulder-length dreads with yellow/gold highlights. He was last seen leaving the scene, heading southbound across 75th Street, wearing a black hooded sweater, black pants, and a ski mask. Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact the Downers Grove Police Department at 630-434-5600.
Chicago Tribune
14-04-2025
- Chicago Tribune
Downers Grove South teacher pleads not guilty to sexual assault, abuse of student
A Downers Grove South High School teacher appeared briefly in DuPage County Circuit Court Monday, where she pleaded not guilty to sexually abusing a student. Christina Formella, 30, is charged with one count of criminal sexual assault and two counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse. Formella, a special education teacher who also coached soccer, was arrested last month by the Downers Grove Police Department after a student and his mother told police about the alleged abuse, which authorities say occurred when the boy was 15 years old. Formella faces four to 15 years in prison if convicted of criminal sexual assault, prosecutors Jaclyn McAndrew and Mike Fisher said. The count is not subject to probation. One of the criminal sexual abuse charges is punishable by four to 15 years in prison while the other is subject to to three to seven years in prison, prosecutors said. The abuse counts are eligible for probation. Formella would have to register on the sex offender registry if convicted on any of the three counts, McAndrew said. Formella's attorney, Todd Pugh, declined comment after the hearing. The case was continued until June 17, though Judge Mia McPherson will hold a hearing Friday to determine whether cameras will be allowed in the courtroom. Cameras or video equipment of any kind, including cell phones, are typically prohibited inside DuPage courtrooms without permission. Both prosecutors and Formella's attorneys have asked McPherson to bar photographers from the courtroom after the Daily Mail Online filed a request last week. Before Monday's arraignment, the case garnered substantial public attention in traditional media and social media. As a result, the victim and his family have already suffered embarrassment in the case and object to any extended media coverage, prosecutors said in court documents. Crime victims have the right to be treated with fairness and respect and be free from harassment, intimidation and abuse throughout the criminal process, McAndrew and Fisher wrote. Formella's attorneys also objected to the Daily Mail's request saying the teacher, her family and neighbors have been repeatedly harassed by tabloid reporters seeking to sensationalize the case. Local law enforcement have had to be called numerous times since her arrest, Pugh said in court records. The presence of a photojournalist could create a heightened media spectacle that could prejudice potential jurors and the public against the defendant, Pugh wrote. The defendant has a right to a fair trial, he wrote. Formella has been granted pre-trial release while awaiting trial. According to court documents, the boy's mother learned of the alleged assault after she bought the boy a new phone to replace one that broke. After signing into iCloud, text messages began populating, and the mother noticed a text thread with a phone number and no name or photo, documents said. The boy said it belonged to Formella, according to court records. Text messages between the two were indicative of a sexual relationship, court documents said. The boy and his mother went to the Downers Grove Police Department on March 15 to report a sexual assault that allegedly occurred inside a classroom in December 2023 when the boy was 15 years old and Formella was 28, court records said. The teen was later interviewed by an investigator with the DuPage County Children's Advocacy Center, court records said. According to the boy, he last spoke with Formella in February 2024, and they both acknowledged that it was wrong, court documents said. Formella was arrested March 16. Detectives seized Formella's phone and found various diary entries in the 'Notes' app that allegedly talked about the student, according to court records. Detectives interviewed Formella, who 'adamantly denied having sex' with the teen, court documents said. Formella allegedly told detectives that 'everybody comes after her because she is good looking, and she is just a good person,' and she cared about the victim, the documents said. Formella also admitted during the interview that she knew the relationship was wrong, but she was unable to stop it because she cared about the teen so much, court documents said. During the interview, Formella also presented a narrative in which the boy was using messages to blackmail her, authorities said. Court records show that Formella claimed the boy grabbed her phone when it was unattended and typed in her passcode, which he saw her use before, sent the text messages about a sexual encounter to his phone and then deleted them from her phone. Formella claimed that she did not know that these text messages existed, the court records said. Formella also alleged that the boy was stalking her and that her husband was aware, though he told detectives that he knew nothing about this, court documents said. Formella said that any personal thoughts detailed in her phone's 'Notes' app were a way for her to process her anxiety, court records said. Any references to sex were not about the teen she told police, according to court records. Michelle Mullins is a freelancer.
