An Effingham County teacher already accused of inappropriately communicating with a student is now facing even more serious allegations. Dakota Czerwonka, the founder and a teacher at Crossroads Montessori School in Effingham, is charged with 10 counts of possessing child pornography, according to county court records. These new charges were filed on February 12th, about two weeks after Czerwonka pleaded not guilty to two initial counts of grooming and sexual exploitation of a child.
While the original charges are classified as Class 4 felonies, the new child pornography charges are Class 2 felonies, which carry much harsher penalties. Each Class 2 felony is punishable by three to seven years in prison, and sentences for separate counts are served consecutively in child pornography cases—potentially resulting in decades behind bars if convicted.
Czerwonka appeared in court on Thursday for the first time since the new charges were filed. He waived formal arraignment, pleaded not guilty, and requested a trial by jury—mirroring his actions from his initial appearance on January 29th.
Czerwonka was arrested in January following an Effingham Police Department investigation into a complaint that he had sent “inappropriate electronic messages” to a student. Prosecutors have now escalated the case with the new, more serious accusations.
Czerwonka was advised of the potential sentences during his latest court appearance. He is scheduled to return to court for a pretrial conference on April 9th.