Ex-St. Charles PTO president sentenced to prison on felony charges including grooming

A former St. Charles PTO president was sentenced to five years in prison after pleading guilty to four felony charges that included indecent solicitation of a child, the Kane County State’s Attorney’s Office announced in a news release.

Judge John Barsanti sentenced Edward T. Izenstark, 38, of the 1100 block of Geneva Road, St. Charles, on Monday, Jan. 27.

Izenstark also pleaded guilty to traveling to meet a minor, grooming and solicitation of a sexual act, all felonies, according to the release.

Izenstark was sentenced to the maximum of five years each on indecent solicition of child and traveling to meet an minor. He was sentenced to three years each for the charges of grooming and solicitation of a sexual act, also the maximum, according to the release.

In accordance with Illinois law, all four counts are to be served concurrently, according to the release, which means all at the same time

Izenstark is also to receive credit for the 216 days he served in the Kane County jail, and for day-for-day sentencing, according to the release, which means for every day he serves in prison, he gets a day shaved off his sentence.

Assistant State’s Attorneys Amanda Busljeta and Ken Hudson said in court that Izenstark began communicating with the minor on July 8, 2023, via FaceTime, phone calls and text messages, according to the release.

Around 10:20 p.m. on Aug. 12, 2023, Izenstark drove from his Saint Charles home to Epic Air Trampoline Park in South Elgin to perform sexual acts on a juvenile in exchange for money, according to the release.

After the defendant confirmed he was in the parking lot, the child called 911.

At the time, Izenstark was President of the Thompson Middle School Parent Teacher Organization in St. Charles, according to the release.

In addition to the prison term, Izenstark must register as a sexual offender for 10 years in accordance with the Illinois Sexual Offender Registration Act.

“But for the child’s bravery in calling 911 that night, this could have been a very different case,” Busljeta said in the release.

“The imposed maximum sentence holds the defendant accountable for his deplorable actions and hopefully sends a message that preying on the most vulnerable in our society will not be tolerated,” Busljeta said. “I want to thank the victim for demonstrating tremendous courage, as well as ASA Hudson, Victim Advocate Sheila Gray and Elgin Police Department Detective Houghton for their work on this case.”

Izenstark had been indicted on 14 charges, 12 of them felonies, court records show.