East Central Reporter

A jury in Edgar County has found Michael Lowery, a teacher formerly employed by the Kansas, Illinois School District and currently with the Martinsville School District, not guilty on all charges. The verdict was delivered after a trial that included testimony from both the prosecution and defense.

Court records show that the trial began at 9:00 a.m., with evidence presented by the State. Exhibits were admitted without objection, and the State rested its case before lunch. After testimony from the defense and closing arguments, jurors received instructions and began deliberations at 2:40 p.m. The jury returned its verdict at 4:08 p.m., acquitting Lowery of all seven counts. As a result, Lowery is to be released from custody.

Lowery had previously been arrested in Edgar County and held without bail after being charged with three counts of criminal sexual assault involving a victim between 13 and 17 years old. These are classified as Class 1 felonies under Illinois law. At an earlier hearing, the court determined there was probable cause for the charges and denied bail, citing concerns about community safety.

Following Lowery’s arrest, the Kansas Police Department issued a statement on its Facebook page regarding the matter. The superintendent of Martinsville School District also addressed families in a letter:

"Dear Martinville families,

I am writing to share some difficult news that is concerning to our school community. We learned today that Michael Lowery was arraigned on criminal charges related to 'criminal sexual assault/authority.' Law Enforcement has shared that, at this time, there is no information suggesting that any current or former Martinsville students or other staff members are involved in this matter.

We have no reason to suspect that any student or staff member in the district has been in any danger at any time. Our district is cooperating with Law Enforcement in its investigation into the allegations. If you have specific information that may be relevant to the ongoing Law Enforcement investigation of this matter, please contact Sheriff Bill Brown at 217-826-6393.

The District will monitor ongoing developments regarding this matter and review information shared by Law Enforcement throughout their ongoing investigation ensuring our district continues to make decisions in the best interest of our students.

The safety and security of our students is paramount, and the appropriateness of the educational environment is crucial to our mission. We conduct fingerprint-based criminal background checks and cross-reference state and national sexual and violet offender registries as a part of our pre­employment process. All faculty and staff must comply with District policies on ethics and technology use and attend training regarding the parameters of appropriate conduct with minor students during and outside of the school day. All staff members are mandated reporters to the Illinois Department of Child and Family Services (DCFS) and we provide annual training to all staff on this responsibility.

If your child has had regular contact with Mr. Lowery, I suggest that you discuss this matter with them directly, so they hear from you that he is gone from the classroom and under investigation. District counselors and counselors from Human Resources Center of Edgar and Clark counties (HRC) will be available in the Jr/Sr High School building to provide support to students and staff as needed.

If you have specific information or concerns about this matter, please contact me directly at 217-382-4321 or you can email me at [email protected].

The District has no further information regarding the allegations and cannot comment further on the Law Enforcement proceedings.

Sincerely,

Robert Waggoner

Superintendent"

The superintendent noted that background checks are conducted for all employees using state and national registries prior to hiring. Staff receive annual training on appropriate conduct with minors as well as mandatory reporting responsibilities for suspected abuse.

Law enforcement authorities continue their investigation into these matters but have stated there is no indication current or former Martinsville students or staff were involved.

The public is reminded that all individuals are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.