Culver's Court Date Moved

Ronald D. Culver's preliminary hearing on a charge of aggravated criminal sexual abuse of a Lake Zurich High School student has been moved to 10:30 a.m., Thursday, Dec. 9, according to Lake County Circuit Court records.

The hearing was  originally scheduled at 9 a.m., Thursday, Nov. 18.

Culver, 51, of Inverness, posted $1,000 of his $10,000 bond on the charge to the Lake Zurich Police on Tuesday, Nov. 2, one day after he was arrested. Through an order prepared by Culver's criminal law attorney Stephen Simonian of Waukegan,  additional terms for the bond and the revised hearing date were set in Lake County 19th District Judicial Circuit Court on Thursday, Nov. 4 t.

Terms of the bond include that Culver may not have contact with children under 18 years old; that he have no contact with the alleged victim or Lake Zurich High School, court records said. The court also granted Culver permission to travel to Missouri while on bond.

Additionally, a copy of the warrant for Culver's arrest states that the alleged abuse occurred "on or about" Sunday, Oct. 24. 

 Culver, a former Lake Zurich High School drama teacher, was charged Monday, Nov. 1, with aggravated criminal sexual abuse, a felony, stemming from an incident involving a district student, according to the Lake Zurich Police Department.

The Lake County State's Attorney's Office reviewed the incident on Monday, Nov. 1, and approved a charge of aggravated criminal sexual abuse, a Class 2 Felony, against Culver, Lake Zurich police reports said.

Police received a report of a possible aggravated criminal sexual abuse incident on Thursday, Oct. 28. They were advised that a teacher at the high school was the possible offender. The juvenile victim reported that earlier in the week a teacher identified as Culver committed an act of sexual conduct as defined by the Illinois Criminal Code, 720 ILCS 5/12-12, with the victim, police reports said.

Culver faces a possible sentence of 3–7 years in prison and/or a fine not to exceed $25,000, according to Lake Zurich police. Aggravating circumstances present in the incident may extend sentencing guidelines.