Overview
- Orland Park police arrested Brett Smith, 43, on a Class 1 felony count of aggravated criminal sexual abuse after detectives said they found probable cause he engaged in sexual contact with a juvenile.
- Smith turned himself in Wednesday and made his initial appearance Friday in Bridgeview, where a judge ordered him detained; his next court date is set for Feb. 20.
- Evergreen Park police announced a separate battery charge tied to a report from a Queen of Martyrs family about a possible incident while he worked at the school.
- Parents who hired him as a tutor grew suspicious when a Zelle payment listed Brett Smith despite his use of the name BJ S. McAuliffe, leading police to uncover a legal name change from Brett Zagorac and multiple aliases.
- The Archdiocese of Chicago fired and barred him after learning of his past; officials said he had previously passed state background and fingerprint checks, and DCFS and local police have opened investigations and urged potential victims to come forward.