Carterville, IL (CAPITOL NEWS ILLINOIS) – The FBI received a tip about possible sexual abuse involving a Carterville High School employee and former students in November 2024 — yet a year had passed before the district placed the employee on administrative leave and officials notified the state child abuse hotline.

An FBI spokesperson confirmed this week that it received the tip through its national threat intake center and, upon determining it did not have jurisdiction to lead the investigation, immediately forwarded the information to local law enforcement in southern Illinois.

Williamson County Sheriff Jeff Diederich said the case remained largely stagnant for 15 months due to a lack of evidence. His department had spoken with young men who’d detailed allegations off the record, but he said it was important to let them take their time in deciding when they were ready to make an official statement.

Then on Feb. 20, a former Carterville High School student agreed to an on-the-record interview with an investigator, and the sheriff’s office elevated the inquiry to a criminal investigation into alleged sexual abuse.

That same day, Diederich said his office notified the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services’ child abuse hotline and Carterville school district officials, who then placed the employee on leave that evening. 

Both the school district and the sheriff’s office released statements notifying parents and the public the following day.

The individual has not been charged, and has not been named by either the school or the sheriff’s office. Diederich said officials are withholding the name and further details to protect the “integrity of the investigation and to ensure it is thorough and complete.” 

The school had been aware of the allegation dating back to November 2024, when local authorities first received the tip.

Alleged abuses occurred more than a decade earlier

Sarah Barnstable, superintendent at Carterville Unit School District 5, said the Carterville Police Department had contacted the school at that time and notified school officials about an anonymous tip the FBI had received about a district employee.

At the time, Barnstable said the information could not be verified and involved alleged actions that were said to have occurred more than a decade earlier. Because the report was anonymous, unverified and off the record, neither law enforcement nor the school district had enough information to make a report to the DCFS child abuse hotline or conduct a meaningful investigation, she said.

Barnstable said the district took action once it was notified last month by the sheriff’s office that investigators had opened a criminal investigation. The employee was immediately placed on administrative leave, she said.

Diederich acknowledged that many residents in Carterville, a small community of about 5,800 between Carbondale and Marion, are likely aware of which district employee the investigation involves, as he is well-known in the community. After the news of the criminal investigation first became public in late February, he said his office received a wave of tips, both directly and forwarded from the FBI. His office believes there may be multiple victims and has encouraged anyone with information to come forward.

“Some of the individuals that have called have said, ‘I have a friend that this happened to,’ or ‘I always suspected this,’” he said. 

A 2022 Carterville High School graduate, who asked to remain anonymous because of the sensitive nature of the allegations, told the Saluki Local Reporting Lab and Capitol News Illinois that the initial news of the investigation was not surprising, echoing sentiments shared by other students and community members in interviews and on social media. 

“Immediately, I knew exactly who they were referring to,” she said. “It didn’t come as a surprise that it was finally breaking, but it did take way longer than it should have. I think the biggest thing to note is that his name has been in the rumor mill for over a decade now.”

Rachel Amaro, who currently has two sons at Carterville High School, said in an interview she was troubled to learn how much time had passed between the FBI receiving the tip and parents being notified. 

“They should have told the parents immediately,” she said. “There should have been a board meeting immediately. Anyone who knew, school board members or administrators, should be held accountable.” 

Beyond the delay between the initial tip and notification to parents, reporters also encountered inconsistencies among public officials while trying to determine who knew what — and when.

City was contacted about the allegations

When first contacted by reporters earlier this week, Carterville Mayor Brad Robinson said Carterville officials were unaware of the FBI tip or any other allegations involving the district employee until the sheriff’s office notified them of the investigation on Feb. 20. 

After reviewing police files, Robinson later confirmed the tip had been sent to the city in November 2024. At the time, the city had a different police chief, Mike Flaningam, who made a case note about it, Robinson said.

“I have no recollection — at all — of him telling me about that case,” Robinson said.

In the month following the initial tip, Carterville officials chose not to renew Flaningam’s contract, which expired Dec. 31, 2024. Flaningam joined the Williamson County Sheriff’s Office the next day, Jan. 1, 2025, where he now works as a detective and is leading the investigation into the Carterville school district employee. He transferred the case to the sheriff’s office prior to his exit. 

Diederich said investigators are moving as quickly as possible but recognize how difficult it can be for victims to come forward and are prioritizing being thorough and complete. 

“People are shattered by the breach of trust,” he said. “This individual had developed such a high level of respect and trust within the community.”

Superintendent Barnstable added that the district has not been provided specific details about the allegations by the sheriff’s office and that the information shared with DCFS was the same information provided to the district by investigators. She encouraged anyone with information about inappropriate conduct by a staff member to come forward.

Capitol News Illinois contacted DCFS, which said it is investigating the matter.

Diederich said the sheriff’s office provided the school the name of the suspect, nature of the offense and that the matter did not, at present, involve any students who are currently enrolled in the Carterville school district. He encouraged anybody with information to reach out to his office. 

“The sheriff’s office is taking a serious approach to this investigation,” he said. “Anybody who calls will be greeted by an investigator who is professional and who will be sensitive to the circumstances. We recognize this is difficult for victims.” 

Tips can be made to the Williamson County Sheriff’s Office by calling 618-997-6541 or via email at wcsheriff@wcsheriff.com. 

This story was produced for Capitol News Illinois through the Saluki Local Reporting Lab, supported by grant funding from the SIU Foundation and the Illinois Press Foundation. Jackson Brandhorst and Lylee Gibbs are students at Southern Illinois University Carbondale, and senior members of the Daily Egyptian, SIU’s student newspaper. Brandhorst can be reached at jbrandhorst@dailyegyptian.com and Gibbs at lgibbs@dailyegyptian.com.

Capitol News Illinois is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news service that distributes state government coverage to hundreds of news outlets statewide. It is funded primarily by the Illinois Press Foundation and the Robert R. McCormick Foundation.