Prosecutors Find 'Intimate' Texts From Band Teacher Accused Of Sex With Students
ST. CHARLES, Ill. (CBS) -- Details are emerging about sexual misconduct allegations against a former West Aurora High School band teacher, who was arrested and charged last spring.
As WBBM Newsradio's Mike Krauser reports, prosecutors have discovered love notes and "personal and intimate" text messages sent to two students by former teacher Stephen Orland, 42.
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Orland is charged with 27 counts, including battery, sexual assault and sexual abuse.
Authorities said the encounters, some of which occurred in the band storage room, were consensual. But the students' age — in some cases younger than 18 — and Orland's position of authority made them illegal.
One girl showed police the text messages from Orland on her phone, which police took into evidence, according to court records. Some of the text messages sent by Orland contained sexual language, authorities said.
Orland is accused of fondling the girls and having them perform oral sex on him at different times between December 2010 and May 2011. Most of the incidents occurred at the high school, prosecutors said, although one sex act was performed in his minivan as Orland drove one girl back to school after a concert.
In all, Orland exchanged nearly 47,000 texts with his two accusers, the Daily Herald reported. He also sent one alleged victim cards and notes to her home and her school locker, saying he wanted to spend more time with her, the Daily Herald reported.
Some of the text messages sent by Orland also contained sexual language, authorities said.
In one case, authorities said, a teacher caught Orland leaving a school storage room suspiciously twice in the same day, and found a different girl still in the storage room each time Orland left.
In January of this year, while on a band trip to Peoria, Orland sent one of the girls text messages to the effect of "I want to kiss you right now" and "I want you now," authorities said. Also on that trip, according to the Daily Herald, a girl had a problem with her instrument and came to Orland's hotel room, where he made sexual advances.
No sex acts occurred during the trip, but court documents say Orland took a picture of himself with the girl in bed, the Daily Herald reports. He was sharing the hotel room with another male teacher who was not present at the time, the newspaper reported.
On another occasion, Orland was caught by a janitor hugging a blonde-haired student in the band storage room, which led to Orland being prohibited from being alone with any female at the school, the Daily Herald reported.
In May 2011, after the investigation began, Orland met with one of the girl's friends. During that meeting, he said, "We cannot let the girls testify against me," authorities said.
At unspecified times, Orland told one of the girls "if (she) really loved him, she would not testify" and also commented his "life would be over" if the girls testified.
Orland offered to pay for musical instruments and tutors, while reassuring "each victim that their relationships would not be discovered," authorities said.
Orland's attorneys have asked Kane County Judge Allen Anderson to keep the text messages out of court because it can't be proven who sent them and, even if prosecutors can do so, Orland has a right to privacy to cover any messages.
