Coach Turned Alleged Criminal After Recording Minors in Bathrooms

According to the ABC News website, a Carol Stream volleyball coach has been charged for secretly recording people, including children, inside a public bathroom at DuPage Training Academy.

Michael Liedtke, 34, is a volleyball coach and the owner of Xcel Athletes, a volleyball club which operates out of the DuPage Training Academy. The organization provides training for youth athletes in the Chicagoland area.

According to www.fox32chicago.com, Liedtke had a video camera hidden in a ceiling tile in a public bathroom at the location and had images of child pornography on his computer as well as his cell phone. The wiring on the video camera was connected to Liedtke’s computer in his office.

Liedtke appeared at a bond hearing where he was charged with two counts of possession of child pornography, a Class X felony, and two counts of unauthorized videotaping, a Class 3 felony, according to a DuPage County State’s Attorney news release.

“The allegations against Mr. Liedtke are, in a word, sickening,” DuPage County State’s Attorney Robert Berlin said in the statement. “He allegedly violated not only the privacy of patrons at the facility, but also the trust placed in him by the parents of the athletes he trained. The disgusting behavior alleged in this case will be met with the full force of the law.”

The owner of the sports facility, Jeff Kramer, said none of his employees were involved in the situation and they were all in disbelief that this happened. Kramer also said the bathroom ceilings will be replaced immediately, according to www.abc7chicago.com.

According to the Wheaton Patch website, Liedtke turned himself in on January 23 at the Carol Stream Police Department and is currently being held at DuPage County Jail on $250,000 bond. Prosecutors say if Liedtke is able to post bond, the judge has ordered him not to have any contact with children under the age of 18. His next court date is set for Feb. 28.

Photo Courtesy of The Daily Herald