A Chicago Public School instructor was arrested while trying to flee the country for sexually assaulting a young girl for a period of 11 months. The former Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps (JROTC) instructor was caught in the O'Hare International Airport.
The Cook County state's attorney's office said that the suspect was trying to board a flight to Mexico when he was caught. He told the victim that he intended on marrying her after moving to Mexico.
Brian Travis, of Saint John, Indiana, is being charged with sexual assault on a victim who is between the age of 13 and 17. The misdemeanour on the young girl began when she was 16 years old and ended after he was caught with her on one occasion. Following the incident, the accused lost his job and threatened to kill the victim's family and friends.
The suspect was taken into custody from the airport around 8.45 AM on Wednesday after he was identified as a suspect for sexual assault on a young female student. The police alleged that the suspect was in a position of authority to manipulate the girl.
He assaulted in multiple occasions in 2018 and 2019. CPS spokesman Michael Passman said that he was working for the Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps at Roosevelt High School, till the end of the previous academic year. He was working as a staffing manager with the JROTC.
Multiple text messages with lewd content
Travis, 46, is said to have sent the victim multiple messages throughout the time he maintained with her. The police are still investigating the messages between the victim and Travis. After the allegations surfaced he was removed from his position as a staffing manager on December 3. He sent messages to the victim accusing her by saying that she was the reason he had lost his job and continued to threaten her.
The judge ordered for him to be held without a bail on Thursday. The next court hearing is set on January 2. "Protecting students is our highest priority, and the district removed Brian Travis from his position earlier this month based on allegations of sexual misconduct," the district said in a statement to a local media outlet.
