Prosecutors have dismissed sexual assault charges against the former director of Illinois State University’s School of Teaching and Learning who was arrested on campus two years ago.
Alan Bates, 54, was accused of sexually assaulting one minor, under age 13, over a period of years between 2007 and 2015. The allegations were not related to his work at ISU, and his arrest came after what Bloomington Police called a “lengthy investigation.”
The four counts of predatory criminal sexual assault, a Class X felony, were dismissed this week, court records show. Bates was scheduled for a pretrial hearing on Wednesday.
"We do not believe we can prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt based on additional information obtained during the ongoing investigation," said McLean County State’s Attorney Erika Reynolds.
Bates’ attorney, Donna Rotunno, said dropping charges was the “right decision” but that “I don’t think the case should have ever been charged in the first place.” Rotunno said Bates spent a lot of time, effort and money mounting his defense, including the hiring of experts.
“Those experts were probably the reason why the state dismissed their case,” she said.
Bates had been director (equivalent to a department chair) at ISU’s School of Teaching and Learning since 2020, according to his LinkedIn profile. He’s also a professor of early childhood education in the College of Education, one of ISU’s marquee programs.
Rotunno said Bates “really wants to get back to his life and wants to get back to teaching.” She said Bates has been on leave since his arrest and some upcoming hearings will determine whether he can return to work.
“I’m grateful for the resolution. I feel bad for him. You lose a lot, even in a vindication. It’s still a difficult position to be in when you’re charged,” Rotunno said.
An ISU spokesperson confirmed Friday that Bates remains a faculty member at the university. After his arrest, he was removed from the ISU College of Education’s website, and his work email is still set for an auto-reply that says he’s out of the office.
After his arrest, Bates hired Rotunno, a high-profile lawyer known for defending men accused of sexual crimes – including Harvey Weinstein. There have been several motions and hearings in the case in the years since, though it remained pending till this week.
