Jan. 24--A Chicago Public Schools high school counselor has been charged with sexually abusing a Manley High School student in a classroom.
Deshone Jackson, 33, appeared in Cook County bond court Saturday and was ordered held in lieu of $100,000 bail on charges of aggravated criminal sexual abuse and public indecency.
Jackson, of the 5900 block of South Wabash Avenue, was a contracted counselor at the high school from Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs, a federal grant program designed to help low-income students prepare for college, according to prosecutors and the program's website.
Jackson met the 17-year-old boy through Manley's GEAR UP chapter and began texting with him in early fall, prosecutors said. In October, Jackson texted the victim asking for a photo, and the boy responded by sending Jackson a nude photo of himself.
Around Oct. 28, while working at Manley, Jackson sent a message asking the victim to meet him in an unused, third-floor classroom. Upon arriving, the victim found Jackson sitting in a desk with his pants and underwear down around his ankles, and his genitals exposed. Jackson asked the victim to touch him, and the victim complied, prosecutors said.
During the incident, the victim pretended to be texting, but instead took two to three photos of Jackson, documenting the incident. The victim then left the classroom, prosecutors said.
The victim immediately told several friends what had happened and showed them the pictures, prosecutors said. The students positively identified Jackson in the photos, which were later inadvertently deleted when the victim attempted to remove a photo album from his phone.
Around Jan. 4, the victim told a school employee about the incident, who then notified the principal. Police arrested Jackson Thursday at his home.
Jackson is next due in court Monday.
meltagouri@chicagotribune.com
