A state senator is renewing her push to close a sex offender registry loophole after a Mundelein teacher and coach and a Wauconda District 118 teacher and coach were both arrested days apart this week.
Illinois State Senator Darby Hills (R-Barrington Hills) released a statement Wednesday about the arrest of Dagoberto Diaz, 48, of Mundelein, a Carl Sandburg Middle School teacher and Mundelein High School junior varsity volleyball coach who was charged with one count of unauthorized video recording of a juvenile, a Class 3 felony.
Hills said she is renewing her call for lawmakers to advance Senate Bill 2381, legislation she sponsors that would require adults convicted of unauthorized video recording or live video transmission involving a minor to register as sex offenders when a court determines the offense was sexually motivated.
“This case is a troubling reminder of why I introduced Senate Bill 2381,” Hills said.
“As a former prosecutor, I saw a serious gap in our law that needed to be addressed. Someone who secretly records a child for sexual purposes should not be able to avoid sex offender registration simply because of how the offense is classified,” Hills said.
A conviction for unauthorized video recording of a minor does not trigger sex offender registration under current Illinois law, even when the recording was sexually motivated, according to Hills.
Hills followed with a petition Thursday asking residents to sign on to have Senate Bill 2381 called for a vote during the upcoming fall veto session.
The petition cites Diaz’s arrest along with the arrest two days later of a Wauconda Community Unit School District 118 teacher and coach who was charged with possessing and distributing child sexual abuse material.
“While these cases involve different allegations, both raise serious concerns about the safety of children in our communities,” Hills said in the petition.
The Mundelein Police Department was notified on August 18 by Mundelein School District 75 and 120 administrations of a reported incident involving the Mundelein High School junior varsity volleyball coach.
A student reported that the coach brought her into a room to perform stretching and jumping exercises, police officials said.
The student said she saw the coach holding a cell phone and saw a flash from the phone and believed he was photographing her, according to police.
She immediately reported the incident to school staff, who contacted police.
“I am incredibly proud of the students who had the courage to speak up, and I am grateful to the school officials and law enforcement who responded,” Hills said.
Mundelein police detectives identified the coach as Diaz, seized his cell phone and obtained a search warrant.
A forensic analysis of the phone located several images and videos that “corroborated the student’s initial suspicion,” police officials said.
Police executed a search warrant at Diaz’s home in the 100 block of West Courtland Street in Mundelein on Tuesday and took him into custody at a family member’s home in Mundelein.
Mundelein School District 120 and Mundelein Elementary District 75 Superintendent Dr. Corey Tafoya said in a letter to families Tuesday afternoon that Diaz was charged as a result of a student report and the school administration immediately alerting law enforcement and the Department of Children and Family Services.
Diaz was placed on leave the same day the district learned of the reported behavior and has not been permitted to interact with students or be on either school’s property, Tafoya said.
“The district will take all necessary steps to pursue termination of his employment. While our reporting processes worked as designed, this painful event reinforces our commitment to continually train our coaches and staff and seek every possible way to keep our students safe,” Tafoya said.
“As a mom of three and the state senator representing Mundelein, this is deeply troubling,” Hills said.
“Parents send their children to school trusting that the adults responsible for them will keep them safe,” Hills said.
Diaz was transported to the Lake County Jail and appeared 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.”
Diaz is accused of knowingly making a video record through the clothing worn by a child for the purpose of viewing the body of another child without the consent of the victim, who was under 18, according to an arrest warrant.
It remains unclear whether Diaz could face additional charges or how many victims there may be.
Lake County Judge Michael Nerheim and prosecutors said the charge against Diaz is non-detainable under the Illinois SAFE-T Act.
An attorney for Diaz said he has minor children.
Nerheim was forced to release Diaz pending trial with pre-trial conditions, including Level 4 pre-trial services monitoring and no contact with the school or minors other than his own children.
Hills said the specific circumstances of the Mundelein case will be determined through the legal process but that the arrest underscores the need to address the gap in state law.
Lawmakers cannot wait for another child to be victimized before closing the loophole, Hills said.
The Wauconda District 118 teacher cited in the senator’s petition is John M. Anderlik, 27, of Crystal Lake, who was charged with two counts of disseminating child sexual abuse material, a Class X felony, and two counts of possession of child sexual abuse material, a Class 2 felony.
Wauconda Community Unit School District 118 Interim Co-Superintendents Todd Leden and Brian Wegley said in a letter to families Thursday that Anderlik is a sixth-grade teacher and girls basketball coach at Matthews Middle School in Island Lake.
Anderlik allegedly shared two videos in August that each showed a prepubescent boy under the age of 13 engaged in a sex act, according to a criminal complaint filed in McHenry County Circuit Court.
Prosecutors said Anderlik discussed his desire to engage in sexual acts with prepubescent children during an online conversation with another person and spoke about his profession as a teacher, describing it as “perfect” for furthering that desire.
The McHenry County State’s Attorney’s Office filed a petition to detain Anderlik pending trial and McHenry County Judge Jennifer L. Johnson granted the petition following an Initial Appearance Court hearing on Friday afternoon.
Anderlik has been placed on administrative leave and is prohibited from entering any school district property or contacting any students, Leden and Wegley said.
Anderlik remains held in the McHenry County Jail and is scheduled to appear in court again on October 1.
Child sexual abuse material offenses like those Anderlik is charged with already require sex offender registration upon conviction under the Illinois Sex Offender Registration Act.
“These incidents are a troubling reminder that we cannot afford to leave gaps in our laws when it comes to protecting children,” Hills said in the petition.
The proposed legislation was prompted by an Illinois case involving a teacher and coach who was caught secretly recording students in a bathroom but was not required to register as a sex offender and went on to reoffend, Hills said.
“When I introduced this legislation, I knew we needed to act. Now, we’re seeing allegations of this nature right here in our own community,” Hills said.
“I represent these families, and I take my responsibility to protect our children seriously. I will continue fighting to close this loophole and make sure Illinois law holds those who sexually exploit children accountable,” she said.
Senate Bill 2381 advanced to third reading in the Senate with bipartisan support but was not called for a vote during the previous legislative session and now remains in the Senate Assignments Committee.
The bill passed the Senate Criminal Law Committee 9-0 in April 2025 and was re-referred to the Assignments Committee in June 2025 without a floor vote, according to Illinois General Assembly records.
It was sent back to the Criminal Law Committee in February, where it was postponed, before returning to the Assignments Committee in March.
“I am calling on my colleagues in the Senate to bring SB 2381 to a vote during the fall Veto Session,” Hills said in the petition.
The Senate’s fall veto session is scheduled to begin November 17, according to the Senate’s session calendar.
“I introduced this bill because our children deserve stronger protections, and I am going to keep pushing to get it passed,” Hills said.
Hills is facing Democratic Illinois State Representative Nabeela Syed in the November 3 general election for the 26th District Senate seat.