A Vernon Hills man, who is a former Buffalo Grove middle school teacher, is on the run after removing his GPS ankle monitor while out on bond for sexually assaulting a juvenile student, police said.
Ilan Gibori, 48, of Vernon Hills, was indicted in April 2021 on 25 counts of criminal sexual assault of a victim between the age of 13 and 17.
Gibori pleaded not guilty to all counts against him during an arraignment hearing.
Lake County State’s Attorney Eric Rinehart previously said that Gibori tried to flee the country after becoming aware of the investigation prior to being charged.
The Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office said they worked with the Vernon Hills Police Department to quickly obtain an arrest warrant for Gibori after the assault was reported.
A state’s attorney’s investigator notified Homeland Security Investigations at O’Hare and Dallas-Fort Worth airports to locate and apprehend Gibori based on the warrant.
The man was arrested on March 25, 2021, by the Department of Homeland Security at Dallas-Fort Worth Airport while allegedly attempting to evade his arrest warrant, the Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office said.
The Vernon Hills Police Department received information from the Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) in late March 2021 that Gibori had sexually assaulted a minor victim.
A preliminary investigation determined Gibori met the victim while he was a teacher at Cooper Middle School in Buffalo Grove in 2017, prosecutors said.
The assaults occurred on nearly a dozen occasions over a period of several years, court records show.
Gibori left Cooper Middle School in July 2019 and worked at The House Tutoring Lounge in Glencoe as the center’s director.
He was released from the Lake County Jail after posting 10% of a $2 million bond, court records show.
The House Tutoring Lounge issued a statement after Gibori’s arrest saying they were devasted to learn of the charges against the man.
“We built The House as an oasis for students to feel supported, comfortable, and safe. We are deeply troubled by the serious allegation that one of our employees inflicted harm on a child as a schoolteacher, which violates the values and mission of our organization and our devoted team,” the statement said.
The company said they fired Gibori and were “fully cooperating with law enforcement.”
Lake County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Chief Christopher Covelli said Friday that Gibori was being monitored by pre-trial bond services while out on bond.
Pre-trial bond services learned that Gibori recently removed his GPS ankle monitor, Covelli said.
A Lake County judge late last week issued a no-bond arrest warrant for Gibori.
The sheriff’s office said that anyone who sees him or knows his whereabouts should call 911.
Gibori, who is charged with 25 Class 1 felonies, faces four to 15 years in prison per count.