Wheaton North Teacher Charged With Criminal Sexual Assault of Student

Updated 10:13 a.m.

A Wheaton North High School English teacher has been charged with 11 counts of criminal sexual assault of a teen, age 13-17, after he allegedly had sexual encounters with a recent graduate in a classroom, an AMC parking lot and at his home.

Edwin Klemm, 43, of St. Charles, has been a teacher at Wheaton North for 13 years and served as the school's speech team coach. District 200 officials said Wednesday Klemm has been suspended and will not return to work until the issue is resolved.

Klemm is being held at DuPage County Jail on $600,000 bail, with 10 percent needed to apply as bond. Prosecutors asked for $800,000, saying that Klemm violated a position of trust.

A DuPage County judge set bond this Wednesday morning. Klemm appeared via closed-circuit television wearing an orange jumpsuit. He looked down at the ground as prosecutors detailed his contact with the student.

The relationship between Klemm and the student first came to light after her parents found a love letter from him to their daughter, prosecutors said. The relationship began in February 2011 when the student was 16.

Klemm that month initiated a conversation with the student where he asked her via text message to come to his classroom after she finished with another extracurricular activity that afternoon. He asked aloud if he should kiss her, then said he should wait until she was 18. He kissed her anyway, prosecutors said.

Klemm would begin to contact the student at all hours of the day.

If convicted on the charges, Klemm faces 44 years of prison, prosecutors said. Authorities anticipate more charges against Klemm will be filed, but those were not detailed in Wednesday's bond hearing.

Patch will continue to provide updates as more information is available. 

Written by Charlotte Eriksen.