Who Is John Anderlik? Illinois Teacher And Girls Basketball Coach Arrest Explained

John M. Anderlik is an Illinois middle school teacher and youth sports coach who was arrested in September 2026 after police said an investigation uncovered child sexual abuse material.

Anderlik, 27, of Crystal Lake, Illinois, worked as a sixth-grade teacher and girls basketball coach at Matthews Middle School in Island Lake, part of Wauconda Community Unit School District 118. Police charged him with four felony counts involving the alleged possession and dissemination of child sexual abuse material.

What Is John Anderlik Accused Of?

Crystal Lake police allege Anderlik possessed and disseminated, or offered to disseminate, visual reproductions of child sexual abuse material involving victims under the age of 18.

Police said the case came to their attention through information from the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. The Crystal Lake Police Department participates in the task force, and investigators said the information prompted an immediate investigation. [NBC Chicago]

Authorities have not publicly alleged that the material involved students from Matthews Middle School. CBS Chicago reported that officials had not specified whether any children from the school were depicted in the material at issue in the charges. [CBS Chicago]

What Charges Does John Anderlik Face?

According to Crystal Lake police, Anderlik was charged with four felony counts:

• Two counts of child sexual abuse material — disseminates or offers to disseminate visual reproductions on a computer involving a victim under 18, Class X felonies.
• Two counts of child sexual abuse material — possession of visual reproductions on a computer involving a victim under 18, Class 2 felonies.

The dissemination charges were filed under 720 ILCS 5/11-20.1(a)(2), while the possession charges were filed under 720 ILCS 5/11-20.1(a)(6), according to information released by police. [Crystal Lake Police Release]

The charges are allegations. Anderlik is presumed innocent unless and until he is proven guilty in court.

How Was John Anderlik Arrested?

Crystal Lake police said the department’s Criminal Investigations Unit investigated information received through the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.

The investigation resulted in police obtaining a search warrant for Anderlik’s residence. Officers executed the warrant on September 24, 2026, at his home in the 1600 block of Carlemont Drive in Crystal Lake. Detectives subsequently took Anderlik into custody. [Lake & McHenry County Scanner]

Police said the investigation into Anderlik’s alleged activities was continuing. [Daily Herald]

Where Did John Anderlik Teach?

Anderlik worked at Matthews Middle School in Island Lake, Illinois, which is part of Wauconda Community Unit School District 118.

District records show that Anderlik was hired in 2021 as a full-time English Language Arts/Social Studies teacher at Matthews Middle School. At the time, the district said he had earned a bachelor’s degree in Middle Level Education from Illinois State University, had previously been a student teacher at Heineman Middle School, and held an Illinois Professional Educator License. [Wauconda CUSD 118]

At the time of his arrest, District 118 identified Anderlik as a sixth-grade teacher and girls basketball coach at Matthews Middle School. [ABC7 Chicago]

Was John Anderlik A Volleyball Coach?

In addition to basketball, Anderlik had an extensive background coaching volleyball.

According to a LinkedIn profile cited by the Lake & McHenry County Scanner, Anderlik had served as head coach of District 118’s seventh-grade volleyball program beginning in January 2022 and was an assistant varsity coach for several months in 2025. [Lake & McHenry County Scanner]

The outlet also reported that Anderlik worked as a part-time coach with Sky High Volleyball in Crystal Lake during a six-week girls 12U spring season in 2026. Sky High executive director Scott Harris said Anderlik had not had contact with the organization since his departure and said coaches undergo background checks and required training. [Lake & McHenry County Scanner]

What Did Wauconda School District 118 Say?

Wauconda Community Unit School District 118 placed Anderlik on administrative leave following his arrest.

Interim co-superintendents Todd Leden and Brian Wegley told families that Anderlik was prohibited from entering district property or contacting students. The district said it was cooperating with the Crystal Lake Police Department, while the Island Lake and Wauconda police departments had also been informed. [NBC Chicago]

The district also made crisis teams, social workers and counselors available to students and staff across its schools following news of the arrest. [CBS Chicago]

Did John Anderlik Have A TikTok Account?

Anderlik maintained a TikTok account where he identified himself as a teacher. The account had more than 12,000 followers around the time of his arrest, and numerous videos appeared to have been recorded inside a classroom, according to the Lake & McHenry County Scanner. [Lake & McHenry County Scanner]

NBC Chicago similarly reported that Anderlik was known for posting school-related material on social media and that some of his videos had accumulated hundreds of thousands of views. [NBC Chicago]

What Is John Anderlik’s Background?

Before his arrest, Anderlik had received recognition for his work in education.

He was named a Golden Apple Scholar in 2018 and was nominated for a Lake County Early Educator of the Year honor in 2025. His professional profile also listed previous work as an adjunct professor at the College of Lake County in 2025. The college told the Lake & McHenry County Scanner that Anderlik was not teaching there at the time of his arrest. [Lake & McHenry County Scanner]

Anderlik had also directed week-long Camp Invention STEM programs for elementary-age children at Cotton Creek Elementary School during the summers of 2022 and 2023, according to information reported from his social media profile. [Lake & McHenry County Scanner]

When Is John Anderlik’s Court Appearance?

Following his September 24 arrest, Anderlik remained in custody pending an initial appearance in McHenry County court scheduled for Friday, September 25, 2026. [Daily Herald]

Are Police Seeking More Information About John Anderlik?

Yes. Crystal Lake police said their investigation was continuing and asked anyone with information related to Anderlik or the investigation to contact the department at 815-356-3620.

Police said anonymous tips can also be submitted by texting the word CLPDTIP followed by the tip information to 847411. [ABC7 Chicago]