Former Joliet Catholic school teacher Agrees to GPS Monitoring

A former Joliet Catholic school teacher facing criminal charges has agreed to wear a GPS monitor and be on home confinement following a court hearing in Will County last week. The GPS monitoring will allow Hylka to go to work, and attend doctor’s appointments and supervised visits with his children. His wife filed for divorce shortly after his arrest in May of 2021.

The 45-year old is accused of communicating with a man online whom he thought was a teenager and making plans to meet up in person for sexual activity. His next court date is January 27th.

—story below from May 11th, 2021—

Former Joliet Catholic school teacher has been arrested after spending days at a mental health facility in New Lenox. Forty-Four year old Jeremy Hylka was arrested, booked and released on $10,000 cash bond for the offenses of Traveling to Meet a Child and Grooming.

On May 11th at approximately 6:30 a.m., Joliet Police Department Detective were notified by Hylka’s attorney that Hylka would be released from Silver Oaks Hospital in New Lenox and placed Hylka into custody without incident.

Hylka was transported to the Joliet Police Department where he was booked and released after posting a cash bond.

On April 28th, the Diocese of Joliet fired Hylka from his teaching position at St. Joseph Catholic School in Lockport. He obtained a substitute teaching license in January 2021 and was not enrolled in a teacher preparation program, which is required to continue teaching in a full-time position. Principal Lynne Scheffler has been placed on administrative leave, effective immediately, while school and diocesan officials investigate the circumstances regarding Hylka’s employment.

A Will County Judge has issued an arrest warrant for Jeremy M. Hylka in the amount of $100,000 for the charges of Traveling to Meet a Child and Grooming. The former teacher is accused of allegedly engaging in what authorities have described as “inappropriate communication with a minor.”