Masturbating School Janitor With Sex Toy Taken Away In Cuffs

JOLIET, IL - For the first time in more than 13 months, former Chaney Monge School janitor Ryan M. Thompson was taken back into custody at the request of Will County Judge Dave Carlson. For about 90 minutes on Monday afternoon, the judge listed to testimony on whether he should sentence Thompson to prison or grant the convicted felon a term of probation. On March 13, 2017, Crest Hill Police arrested the Joliet man after Thompson's now-ex-wife went to police. She found disturbing videos on her husband's cell phone. Three videos were filmed inside the girls locker room at the junior high school where Thompson worked.

On Monday afternoon, Crest Hill Police Detective Dave Reavis took the witness stand in Courtroom 407 and revealed he found a fourth video on Thompson's phone.

"The fourth video was of Ryan Thompson masturbating into a sex toy at the school," Reavis testified.

"Are you able to identify the defendant in that video?" asked Assistant Will County State's Attorney Elizabeth Domagalla.

"Yes," Detective Reavis replied.

According to the detective's testimony, Thompson had filmed the masturbation video while "inside a storage room inside an attic" at the Chaney Monge School building.

Prior to the detective's testimony, Judge Carlson read aloud a few of the victim impact statements from students and parents at Chaney-Monge.

The Will County prosecutor informed the judge that the locker room videos produced by Thompson did not capture footage showing the girls in the nude, but it was clear they had taken off their clothes for gym class.

"No nudity is captured," Domagalla told the judge. However, authorities were able to identify a total of six girls filmed by Thompson. He was originally charged with six felony crimes of unlawful videotaping. This year, he pleaded guilty to two felonies under a plea bargain.

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Thompson was interviewed by Crest Hill Police and arrested 13 months ago. "He did make admissions about filming the locker room," Domagalla informed the courtroom.

Judge Carlson read one of the letters written by one of the students. The child's letter described "feeling hopeless" and how she "does not know who to trust. Who is the right person to ask for help? My mother and father do not know if we are safe at school. I feel tormented by this event.

"If I'm not safe there (at school), then where can I feel safe?" her letter explained.

The student described how nowadays "I feel like I must buy things to make myself feel content."

A parent of another student took to the witness stand. She directed her comments at Thompson, who was clean shaven and wearing a sharp dark suit. Thompson did not resemble the thick bearded 27-year-old school maintenance man who was booked into custody 13 months ago.

The parent told the courtroom that her daughter, "was at school, a place I thought she would be safe, but unfortunately, she wasn't. The defendant had failed her."

These days, the parent said, her daughter lives in constant fear that there might be a hidden video recorder within the school. One time, at a store, her daughter had a panic attack, thinking she might have seen Thompson, who posted bail the day after his arrest.

"I hope you understand the severity of what you have done and how something like this will literally stay with these kids forever," the woman told Thompson.

Thompson sat with his private defense counsel, Nicole Sartori of Yorkville. He appeared to have more than a dozen family and friends who packed Carlson's courtroom as a sign of support. Sartori has asked the judge to put her client on probation. Eventually, Thompson rose from the defense table and cried for about two minutes, as he read a statement expressing deep sorrow for his actions. He told the court how he lost his wife and currently can't have a relationship with his young son because of his criminal offenses.

As he cried, Thompson offered "a sincere incredible apology from the bottom of my heart."

"I lost my job because of my choices," he sobbed. "I am so incredibly sorry for what I've done ..."

Domagalla, the prosecutor, told Judge Carlson that Thompson's crimes allow for a possible prison term of two to five years. She asked the judge to impose a prison sentence of five years.

After about 90 minutes of testimony, Judge Carlson opted to err on the side of caution. He told everyone that he was taking the case under advisement. The sentence will be imposed on Tuesday, May 1 at 1:30 p.m.

"I want to think about it," Carlson remarked. "There's a couple of things that were presented that quite frankly, I want to think about."

Then, two Will County Sheriff's deputies arose from their seats in the courtroom and followed Carlson's wishes.

"In the meantime, Mr. Thompson, I'm going to take you into custody," Carlson announced.

Around 3 p.m., a middle-aged woman sitting in the first row of the gallery, right behind the defendant, began sobbing as two of the courtroom deputies approached the 28-year-old Thompson and put him into handcuffs. They hauled him away, back to the Will County Adult Detention Facility.

Mugshots of Ryan Thompson via Will Count Sheriff's Department