Former Algonquin school employee pleads guilty to possession of images of child sex abuse

A former Community School District 300 employee pleaded guilty Friday to an amended charge of possessing images of child sex abuse and was sentenced to seven years in prison.

Donald Peters, 36, of Cary also pleaded guilty to attempted possession of child sex abuse images and was sentenced to four years of sex offender probation to be served following his prison term, judgement orders in the McHenry County court show.

Judge Mark Gerhardt, who accepted the plea, allowed Peters to turn himself into the McHenry County jail June 26 to begin his sentence. The stay was granted so he could address ongoing medical issues, his attorney and a prosecutor said.

Peters is required to serve half his sentence followed by mandatory supervised release for three years up to natural life. He also is to register as a sex offender for life, according to the judgement orders.

In 2023, Peters, who at the time of his arrest worked as an attendance secretary at Westfield Community School in Algonquin, was charged in two separate cases with the more serious charges of possessing and reproducing images of child sex abuse, Class X felonies that carry a prison term of up to 30 years.

He also was charged with grooming, luring, solicitation of images of child sex abuse, electronic harassment/threatening a person and making an obscene proposal, cyberstalking/causing a person fear and distress as well as intimidation, court records said. Those charges were dismissed Friday.

Peters, who had been scheduled to go to trial June 29, used an anonymous name on Snapchat and presented himself as a child between 13 and 16. He then solicited children in the same age range for sexually explicit images and videos, Assistant State’s Attorney Margaret O’Brien said. His alleged offenses involved students from within District 300, O’Brien said.

There are “two identifiable victims” for whom Peters was charged, prosecutors said. Prosecuters amended the charges to the lesser Class 1 felonies instead of going to trial on the original and more serious Class X felonies, in part, because it saved the two children from having to testify at trial. Additionally, Peters has no criminal history and had participated in a significant amount of sex offender treatment after he was charged, O’Brien and Peters’ attorney Adam Sheppard said.

Sheppard also said Peters never attempted to meet an actual minor and the only contact was through Snapchat. Peters, his attorney said, has the support of his family including his parents and girlfriend.

A civil lawsuit has been filed by the two alleged victims against the school district, as well.