Ex-Teacher Gets Prison For Sexual Conduct With Underage Boy: Feds

MANHATTAN, IL — A 53-year-old woman will serve more than five years in prison after federal authorities said she engaged in sexual conduct with an underage boy and told him to send her sexually explicit photos of himself.

Dayna Chidester, of Manhattan, pleaded guilty earlier this year to receiving child pornography. According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, Chidester "engaged in sexual conduct with the boy on numerous occasions" in November and December 2018.

Chidester previously worked as a teacher at Reed-Custer High School in Braidwood, but resigned a day before her arrest in the wake of an unrelated investigation, the Chicago Tribune reported in 2019.

She was arrested at her Manhattan home in January 2019.

Authorities said she was aware the boy was 14 years old. He was not a student at her school, officials told Patch in 2019.

Last week, U.S. District Judge Jorge L Alonso sentenced Chidester to five years and four months in federal prison.

Chidester's offense "was not a one-time lapse in judgment, but an ongoing pattern of criminal activity," Assistant U.S. Attorney Ashley A. Chung argued in the government’s sentencing memorandum. "Knowing full well that what she was doing was both reprehensible and criminal, (she) repeatedly victimized a child who trusted (her)."

Anyone who believes they are a victim of sexual exploitation is encouraged to contact the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children by logging on to www.missingkids.com or by calling 1-800-843-5678. The service is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.