Crime & Safety
Registered Sex Offender James Bonafide Accused of 'Inappropriate Behavior' at Timothy Christian School
Bonafide, of Hillside, was taken to DuPage County Jail on felony charge of unlawful loitering within 500 feet of a school.
Elmhurst police have released the name of the registered sex offender who to female elementary school students at Timothy Christian School, 188 W. Butterfield Road, on Friday, Aug. 31.
James Bonafide, 39, of Hillside, has been charged with disorderly conduct and unlawful loitering within 500 feet of a school, according to a press release from the Elmhurst Police Department.
At about 10 a.m. Aug. 31, police responded to a call of a suspicious person in the area of the school. A witness saw Bonafide driving a blue van through the parking lot of Messiah Lutheran Church, 130 W. Butterfield, and in the parking lot of Royal York Condominiums, at 100 W. Butterfield, which is adjacent to the playground at Timothy.
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The witness said Bonafide was acting suspiciously and communicating with children on school grounds. Hillside police located Bonafide at his residence, and Elmhurst detectives subsequently took him into custody.
He was charged with a misdemeanor count of disorderly conduct and a felony charge of unlawful loitering within 500 feet of a school.
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He was taken to DuPage County Jail; a bond hearing is pending, the press release said.
According to the Illinois Sex Offender Registry, Bonafide's address is 305 Iroquois Ave. in Hillside. He has previous convictions in Cook County for sexual exploitation and public indecency.
According to published reports, Bonafide also was arrested in 2007 after he was seen near Sandburg Middle School and Hawthorne Elementary School in Elmhurst.
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