A Teacher in the Suburbs Was Arrested for Sexually Abusing a Middle School Student

WESTCHESTER, Ill. –  It was discovered that a teacher in a suburban area sexually abused one of her children almost 25 years ago.

The Westchester Police Department said in June 2024 that a victim told them that Dawn Chester, her teacher at Westchester Middle School from 1998 to 2000, sexually abused her when she was in the sixth and seventh grades. Chester is 54 years old.

As soon as the police started their investigation, they found that Chester had quit Westchester Middle School in 2000 and has since been working for School District 87 in Berkeley, Illinois.

In 1993, Chester was hired by Westchester Middle School. At the time, her name was Dawn Anderson, but at work, she was known as Dawn Lach. According to investigators, she was the victim’s teacher and guide at the time of the claims.

Detectives said Chester became “personally interested” in the student and wrote her a lot of letters and notes, set up times to be alone with her, and sexually touched her.

The Westchester Police Department then contacted Berkeley school officials, who put Chester on administrative leave as soon as they learned about the investigation and the claims, just before the new school year began.

Police from Westchester took Chester into custody at her home without any problems on August 19. After all this time, she was charged with aggravated illegal sexual abuse.

Call the Westchester Police Department at 708-345-0060 or email [email protected] if you think you may have been a victim or have more information.

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