A former Valparaiso Community Schools crossing guard charged with child solicitation claimed he had been carjacked in Gary before police found sexually explicit texts between him and a teen boy on his cellphone, according to court records.
James Jovanovic, 75, of Valparaiso, faces three felony charges of child solicitation after, according to charging documents, he spent two months texting a 15-year-old boy in Gary trying to arrange a hookup.
Jovanovic, according to charging documents, told police he is a 42-year career educator who had previously worked at Ivy Tech and had been a teacher at Andrean High School for 17 years. Jovanovic worked in the Social Studies department at Andrean High School from 1972 to 1989, according to the Diocese of Gary.
Officials from Ivy Tech said he has not been employed with the college since 1999, when he worked at the Lafayette campus.
The texts started on Jan. 6 and continued through March 3. On that day, according to charges, Jovanovic called Gary Police from outside a residence on Massachusetts Street to say he had been carjacked.
When police arrived, they requested Jovanovic’s phone for the number of the carjacking suspect. While looking at the phone, a Gary officer “observed messages which led him to believe Jovanovic was attempting to sexually solicit a fifteen (15) year old male.”
Jovanovic told police he was at the residence to drop off pizza and pop for a male named “Cam.” He had texted Cam to tell him he was out front and when Cam came out, he told Jovanovic to follow him. The two went to the rear of the residence, according to the charges, where there was a second male.
Cam told Jovanovic to give him all his money and cellphone, threw the cellphone and stated, “we should call the police on you,” charges state. Cam and the other male then battered Jovanovic and took the keys to his car before driving away with his car. The car was later located about a block away, and it did not appear anything was missing from the car.
An officer said he was familiar with two brothers who lived at the Massachusetts Street address and they matched the individuals in the reported carjacking. Through their investigation, police realized Cam was the victim, charges state.
Valparaiso Police, meanwhile, contacted Gary officers and told them that Jovanovic had been a crossing guard employed by them who had resigned on March 6.
Jovanovic told police he met a guy online who said his name was “Cam,” according to the charges. Jovanvic said he met him previously in person and on March 3, was only there to take him food.
He said when he arrived at the residence to give Cam the food, Cam led him to the back of the residence where Cam and another Black male “punched him, called him a ‘ped’ and took his phone and keys,” documents state.
“When asked if there would be any sexual messages on his phone between himself and ‘Cam,’ Jovanovic advised that his attorney told him not to answer,” according to the charges.
Jovanovic was employed part-time by the Valparaiso Police Department as a civilian employee as a crossing guard, filling in at different schools as needed, Valparaiso Police said.
Jovanovic was employed as a crossing guard with VPD from September 12, 2018, to February 5, 2022, and from August 11, 2023, until his recent resignation. As a condition of his employment, the man passed a background check completed by VPD, Valparaiso Police said in a release Tuesday.
Valparaiso Police learned of the child solicitation allegations against Jovanovic on March 4 and reached out to Gary Police for more information.
Once police learned of the allegations, they immediately placed him on unpaid administrative leave. He resigned on March 5, police said. Valparaiso Community Schools was also notified about the allegations involving Jovanovic.
An official with the Valparaiso Community Schools did not return a request for comment.
Jovanovic was arrested by Gary Police on Tuesday and transported to Lake County Jail. According to online court records, he was scheduled for an initial hearing Wednesday morning.
“Allegations of this nature are deeply concerning and must be taken seriously. Conduct of this kind will not be tolerated by anyone in our community. The VPD and VCS remain firmly committed to accountability and to maintaining strong partnerships with those we serve,” Valparaiso Police Chief Andrew McIntyre said in the release.
In a social media post, Gary Police requested that anyone with information related to the reported carjacking, the child solicitation investigation, or any other potential incidents involving Jovanovic contact the Detective Bureau at 219-881-1209.
alavalley@chicagotribune.com
