A Mundelein High School volleyball coach, who is also a Mundelein middle school teacher, has been arrested after authorities say he took inappropriate videos of juvenile students.
The Mundelein Police Department was notified on August 18 by Mundelein School District 75 and 120 Administrations of an incident that was reported involving the Mundelein High School’s junior varsity volleyball coach.
Police officials said a student reported that the coach had brought her into a room to perform stretching and jumping exercises.
The student reported that she observed the coach holding a cell phone and saw a flash from the phone.
The student believed the coach was photographing her, police said.
The student immediately reported the incident to school staff, who then contacted police.
Mundelein police detectives identified the coach as Dagoberto Diaz, 48, of Mundelein.
It was also learned that Diaz was a teacher at Carl Sandburg Middle School in Mundelein, along with being the junior varsity volleyball coach at Mundelein High School.
Diaz’s cell phone was seized by detectives and a search warrant was obtained.
Police officials said a forensic analysis was completed on the phone and several images and videos were located that “corroborated the student’s initial suspicion.”
A search warrant was conducted at Diaz’s home in the 100 block of West Courtland Street in Mundelein on Tuesday.
Diaz was later taken into custody at a family member’s home in Mundelein. An attorney for Diaz said he has minor children.
He was charged with one count of unauthorized video recording of a juvenile, which is a Class 3 felony.
Diaz was transported to the Lake County Jail for a First Appearance Court hearing on Wednesday morning.
Lake County Assistant State’s Attorney Patrick Windmoeller said in court that Diaz is accused of taking upskirt photographs of “multiple minor victims.”
An arrest warrant for Diaz said he committed unauthorized video recording when he, without the consent of the victim under 18, knowingly made a video record through the clothing worn by a child for the purpose of viewing the body of another child.
It is unclear whether further charges are possible against Diaz or how many victims there might be.
Lake County Judge Michael Nerheim and prosecutors said the charge against Diaz is non-detainable under the Illinois SAFE-T Act.
Nerheim was forced to release Diaz pending trial with pre-trial conditions, including Level 4 pre-trial services monitoring and not to have any contact with the school or minors other than his own children.
The Mundelein Police Department said they thank the students involved for having the courage to come forward about the suspicious circumstances.
Anyone with additional information relating to the case is asked to call the Mundelein Police Department at 847-968-4600.