Ex-Lake Bluff Teacher Charged In 1985 Sex Crime

LAKE BLUFF, IL — The Lake County state's attorney announced it has charged former Lake Bluff teacher Charles T. Ritz with one count of public indecency and lewd exposure. The charge was brought in connection with an alleged incident occurred in May of 1985, according to court records.

In the late 1970's and mid 1980's Ritz taught and coached in Lake Bluff at what was then Lake Bluff Junior High. Several former students have since come forward publicly to accuse him of sex crimes.

He resigned in 1985 after the board received allegations of wrongdoing with students. He was paid a severance package and moved to California, where he was subsequently accused of abuse again.

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The allegations against him in Lake County do not appear to have been shared with police or prosecutors prior to June of last year, according to an investigation by WLS.

In June 2016, the Lake Bluff Police Department began an investigation based on a series of social media posts made by former students of Lake Bluff school district that included allegations of illegal sexual conduct by Ritz, police said.

"When we launched this investigation 11 months ago, we knew it would present challenges because of the amount of time that had elapsed between the incidents and when we learned of them,” said Lake Bluff Chief of Police David Belmonte.

“But those challenges did not diminish our resolve to investigate the matter and work on behalf of the victims and our entire community so we could learn as much as we could about the disturbing allegations and do whatever we could to hold responsible parties strictly accountable,” he said, in an announcement of the charge.

In a multi-jurisdictional probe, investigators interviewed more than 50 witnesses across the country and looked at nearly 30 years worth of records, according to the State's Attorney's office.

State’s Attorney Michael Nerheim praised all the agencies involved in this investigation.

"Although these events happened decades ago, they can currently be prosecuted based on the fact that Mr. Ritz left the State of Illinois shortly after the commission of these criminal acts,” Nerheim said.

According to Nerheim's office, the statute of limitations does not include any period when the defendant is not "usually and publicly a resident" of the state.

» via the Lake County State's Attorney

Related:

• No additional Lake Bluff sex abuse investigation into Charles Ritz
• Lake Bluff superintendent sends open letter regarding sexual abuse accusations
• Former Lake Bluff teacher investigated for sexual abuse of students