1 • Thursday, Sept. 3, 2020 - The Elmhurst Independent
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VOL. 18 • NO. 37
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Registered sex offender arrested for being at Emerson School By Dee Longfellow
FOR THE ELMHURST INDEPENDENT
Police said that subsequent to a report of Frank J. Battaglia, 73, of Elmhurst, attending a school function at Emerson Elementary School on Feb. 7, a warrant was issued for his arrest. On Aug. 21, Battaglia was charged with “felony child sex offender in a school zone.” He was taken into custody, posted bond and was released. Last year, Battaglia was at the center of a controversy at Lake Park High School District 108. The Lake Park High School head football coach was fired after the district said in a statement the coach “failed to follow the required criminal background process and directed an assistant football coach to remove the
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volunteer coach (Battaglia) from the list of names submitted to human resources for a background check.” Even though Battaglia was a volunteer, all persons working with students, whether paid or unpaid, need to pass a background check. Besides the coach being fired, the athletic director and the school principal were also subject to disciplinary action. The incident that placed Battaglia on the registry of sexual offenders took place in 1991, when he was fired for touching the breasts of a 14-year-old girl who was a freshman at Driscoll Catholic High School in Addison. He pleaded guilty to aggravated criminal sexual abuse of a teenage girl in 1992.
Elmhurst resident still missing after nearly a month More details emerge from United Airlines FOR THE ELMHURST INDEPENDENT
For the past few weeks, the Independent has continued to bring its readers the news about an Elmhurst man who has been missing for nearly a month now. Jake Cefolia, 49, is senior vice president of sales and marketing for United Airlines, which has put out an appeal on the UA website to urge anyone with information about Cefolia or the incident to please step forward. He was last seen on Aug. 6 and
reported missing on Aug. 8. At press time, Cefolia had still not been found. Shortly after he was reported missing, Cefolia’s vehicle was located near the Waterfall Glen Forest Preserve in Lemont, where he often went for a run. Assuming something may have happened to him during a run, a search was launched of the Forest Preserve. Illinois law enforcement, local police, K-9 units and more than
See MISSING, Page 3
Inside:
Police Reports...........6 Sports ��������������� 18-21 Viewpoint.................8 Classifieds..............17
JULIA LOCANTO PHOTO Elmhurst Independent
COVID-19 forces business to close after 22 years
Marlene Schraut assists loyal customer Kris Schwarz and her granddaughter, Lauren, as they paint their final ceramic pieces at Pik a Pot n Paint. The business recently announced it would be closing its doors, due to COVID-19. Full story and another photo inside.
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By Dee Longfellow
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