Ex-St. Viator coach, counselor found guilty of one charge, acquitted on three others
Former St. Viator High School counselor and high school hall of fame basketball coach Joseph Majkowski was found guilty Wednesday of a misdemeanor disorderly conduct charge alleging he sent an inappropriate text message to a student.
But Majkowski, 68, was acquitted on three other disorderly conduct charges by Cook County Judge Steven Wagner, who presided over a bench trial that got underway last week.
Attorney Vince Stavros, of the Stavros Law Offices firm that represented Majkowski, said the split ruling reflects the varying contexts of the texts sent.
The guilty verdict stemmed from a count alleging Majkowski sent a former St. Viator student a text reading "when you're older I want to do stuff with you. You can't tell anyone that."
Majkowski faces a maximum of 30 days in jail and a $1,500 fine when sentenced June 8, but he is also eligible for court supervision.
"He maintains his innocence," Stavros said Thursday. "We don't think the state met their burden. But the judge found different."
Three former St. Viator students testified last week about texts they received from Majkowski in June 2019, when they were 15 and 16 years old.
All three reported the texts to their parents and police, and testified they felt "anxious," "ashamed," "disgusted" and "betrayed" over the messages.
Last year, Majkowski, of Arlington Heights, pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor battery charge stemming from allegations he groped a female student in his office in 2019. He was sentenced to 24 months of probation as part of a plea deal in which prosecutors dismissed a felony charge of aggravated criminal sexual abuse.
Majkowski coached at St. Viator for 35 years, and in 2012 was enshrined in the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association's Hall of Fame. He stopped coaching in 2011, but remained as the head of the school's counseling department until his retirement at the end of the 2018-2019 school year.