Police confirmed that the suspect, 29-year-old Allen Nguyen, was an instructor at Ha's Taekwondo in Lake in the Hills.
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Nguyen is facing multiple counts of possession of child pornography, following his arrest by the Huntley Police Department at his apartment earlier this week after a four-month investigation.
Parents of students at Ha's Taekwondo, remained silent as they were ushered into the Lake in the Hills facility for an emergency meeting Friday night, following disturbing allegations against the former instructor.
A yellow piece of paper posted to the front of the academy Friday morning alerted the community of the emergency meeting to address concerns and to discuss how to move forward.
Multiple people commented on a Huntley PD Facebook post about Nguyen's arrest, saying their children were taught by Nguyen at Ha's Taekwondo and are in disbelief.
Parents, whose children attend the Taekwondo studio, told ABC7 they are beyond disgusted and angry. They feel betrayed by the studio after learning an instructor who's spent countless hours with their children has now been charged with child pornography.
One parent said she is disgusted by the news and added that she pulled her children from Ha's Taekwondo and no longer wants to be attached to the academy.
Yesenia Cervantes was looking to enroll her daughter in the program, but changed her mind after reading the sign plastered on the door of the closed storefront, alerting the community about the meeting.
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"It's in your own neighborhood. It's shocking," Cervantes said. "Thinking, 'oh, this is only a few blocks from my house. Let me see if I can put her in there.' It's hard, because who do you trust nowadays?"
The school said they are committed to regaining the community's trust by bringing in a professional and implementing new security programs.
An emergency parent-only meeting will be held 7 p.m. Friday at the Lake in the Hills studio.
Huntley Police Chief Robert A. Porter said in a statement, "I appreciate the work of our staff and various law enforcement partners who assisted us on this case. These are extremely difficult and challenging cases to work and I truly appreciate all of their efforts in bringing this individual to justice."
Ha's Taekwondo issued a statement about the situation:
Ha's Taekwondo has been serving the community for nearly 23 years. The recent arrest of former employee Allen Nguyen, has left the staff and families of Ha's Taekwondo completely devastated. Mr. Nguyen does not have a previous criminal record and there have been no warning signs. At this time we have had no indication from police that our school has been involved in any of Mr. Nguyen's personal actions. We take our students safety very seriously. Our business practices list a strict set of guidelines and policies in place to ensure parents trust in our school. This trust is what has allowed Ha's Taekwondo to make a positive impact on so many people's lives for the last 23 years. We are committed to reinforcing this trust by bringing in a professional to review the current processes we have in place and implementing any new security programs where necessary. Ha's Taekwondo has scheduled a private meeting for students' parents to meet with staff to promote an open dialogue about the situation. We are asking the public to refrain from making any false or unrelated comments that might cause more unnecessary pain and suffering to the innocent parties involved. Any tips or concerns related to the investigation of the accused should be communicated directly to the Huntley Police Department.