The former East Aurora High School truancy liaison recently charged with sexually assaulting a female student portrayed himself as a “family man” in court documents filed this week with a motion seeking a reduction in bail.
But an affidavit filed by investigators paints a different picture, alleging the man had sex with the 17-year-old “approximately three times a week” from the beginning of the school year until he resigned from his job last week, according to court records.
Jose Corona, 32, of Aurora, is charged with six counts of criminal sexual assault and remains in Kane County Jail on $100,000 bail. He is scheduled for a bond reduction hearing on Dec. 2. In his bond-reduction motion filed Monday, Corona is described as a married “family man” who has two children and “spends time with his parents daily.” He is a lifelong Aurora resident, an officer in the National Guard and, in recent years, had applied for jobs with Aurora police and the Kane County Sheriff’s Department, the motion states.
“(Corona) has never had any prior instance of a police encounter whatsoever …,” the motion offers.
In a search warrant affidavit filed the same day, an Aurora police detective wrote, based on his interview with the student on Nov. 12, that the teen met Corona early in the school year when he saw her walking into the school’s cafeteria and requested she go to his office. The student, who thought Corona was a dean at East, went to Corona’s office where he asked for her phone number, which she gave to him. The next day, she returned to Corona’s office where the pair had sex, the affidavit explains.
“(The student) disclosed that Mr. Corona had sexual intercourse with her at least three times a week until he was suspended from his job,” the detective’s affidavit states.
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Prosecutors last week indicated the charges cover the time between Aug. 15 and Nov. 12. The Illinois Department of Children and Family Services received a report of an inappropriate relationship between Corona and the student during the week of Nov. 9 and began an investigation, which also involved the Kane County Child Advocacy Center and Aurora police.
The affidavit was filed to obtain a search warrant for Corona’s home, where police believe they would find his cell phone. Court records were not clear as to whether the search was conducted or his phone recovered. Corona “declined” to bring his phone with him at the time of his arrest on Nov. 13, the affidavit states.
A spokesman for Corona’s attorney had no comment about the case on Thursday.
East Aurora School District officials previously said Corona began his employment at the high school on Aug. 27 in a role where he worked with students in danger of becoming chronically truant. Neither the student referenced in the affidavit, nor a second student who initially reported inappropriate contact with Corona on Oct. 22, were involved with his truancy liaison work. Corona is also charged with battery in the earlier report, according to authorities.
Corona was initially placed on paid leave on Oct. 22, the same day that incident was reported to an East Aurora staff member and Aurora police were called. Corona has not been back to the high school since that day and officially resigned on Nov. 12, the district said.
Dan Campana is a freelance reporter for the Beacon-News.