from www.chicagotribune.com – A former high school teacher who resigned last fall amid charges that he sexually abused a female student was attacked at gunpoint in his Inverness home this week by a relative of the student, authorities said today.
A 49-year-old Inverness man appeared in Cook County Circuit Court’s Rolling Meadows branch Thursday after being charged with home invasion in the attack.
Authorities said the man is accused of going to the home of former Lake Zurich High School drama teacher Ronald Culver [pictured] Tuesday evening and threatening and striking Culver with a pistol.
In order to protect the identity of the student Culver is accused of abusing, the Tribune is not naming the relative who has been charged in the home invasion.
Cook County Assistant State’s Attorney Bill Cotter said the man accused in the home invasion rang the doorbell of the home, screamed at the homeowner when he answered, pushed him down, shoved the barrel of the pistol in his mouth when he tried to speak and struck him in the head.
Cotter said the homeowner was treated for a minor cut to the head.
The man left the home without further incident and was later driven by a friend to the Inverness police station, where he turned himself in, admitted his involvement in the alleged home invasion and surrendered the pistol, Cotter said.
Culver resigned as a drama and speech teacher at Lake Zurich High School in October, just before turning himself in to police on charges of aggravated criminal sexual abuse. Authorities have said the alleged victim of the abuse was a student. Culver was released on $10,000 bond the same day.
Following Culver’s arrest, investigators learned of a second alleged victim, and additional charges of aggravated criminal sexual abuse were brought against Culver, bringing the total number of counts against him to 10, Lake County Assistant State’s Attorney Fred Day said.
Culver’s bond was then raised from $100,000 to $250,000, Day said. Culver posted the additional bail money and was released on Nov. 24, Day said. Culver is due to go to trial on the Lake County sex abuse charges on Feb. 22.