The hearing Monday resolved a case that began in 2009, when Zaborowski was accused of having inappropriate contact with a teenage student via email. Police said Zaborowski did not have physical contact with the student.
However, authorities later searched Zaborowski’s laptop, and found sexually oriented images involving minors.
Zaborowski told authorities that his emails to the student were accidental and were a poor choice of words. But Champaign County Common Pleas Court Judge Roger Wilson disagreed.
“I don’t believe for one minute this is a case of a mistake or misunderstanding,” Wilson said.
Richard Mayhall, Zaborowski’s attorney, said while prosecutors portrayed Zaborowski as a predator, his job put him in a position where he was often dealing with troubled students. Mayhall said Zaborowski had no previous criminal record and a good reputation before the investigation.
But Nick Selvaggio, Champaign County prosecutor, said Zaborowski constantly tested the limits of appropriate conduct.
“The state maintains the defendant knew exactly what he was doing,” Selvaggio said.
Zaborowski was initially indicted on more than 30 criminal charges. But the court decided to split the case into two separate trials earlier this year, and prosecutors were not able to use key pieces of evidence that Selvaggio said would show the full scope of Zaborowski’s conduct.
Along with three months probation, Wilson ordered Zaborowski to pay a $500 fine and court costs. He also imposed 120 hours of community service, and ordered that Zaborowski avoid Urbana High School. Zaborowski was also ordered to stay off the Internet for six months.
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