Yorkville Man, A Former Teacher, Gets 6 Years For Sexual Assault

On Friday morning, James Bryla pled guilty to criminal sexual assault, according to a DuPage County State's Attorney Office press release. The 31-year-old man from Yorkville was sentenced to six years in prison for "inappropriate sexual contact" with a 16-year-old female student at Hinsdale Central High School.

Bryla was accused of meeting the student in April 2011 in a park after school. The sexual contact allegedly occurred inside Bryla's vehicle. The incident was reported to authorities in 2015, when Bryla was under investigation for "texting/grooming behavior with another student." Bryla was arrested on April 24, 2015, and he posted bond the same day.

“James Bryla took advantage of his position as a teacher and a mentor to sexually abuse a sixteen-year-old girl just to satisfy his own sick sexual desires,” DuPage County State's Attorney Robert Berlin said in the release. “In doing so, he not only took advantage of the trust his victim had placed in him, he also took advantage of the trust placed in him by his victim’s parents, the school and the community."

Bryla will serve 85 percent of his sentence before he becomes eligible for parole, and he will have to register as a sex offender for life.

Map showing Hinsdale Central High School, powered by Google

Photo of James Bryla from the DuPage County State's Attorney Office