Police have arrested an Algonquin man whom they said drove to Warren Township with the intention of smoking marijuana and engaging in sexual acts with a 14-year-old boy.
Lake County Sheriff’s detectives arrested 23-year-old Thomas C. Casey on Thursday, according to a news release from the Lake County Sheriff’s Office.
Casey, of the 1900 block of Cloverdale Lane, communicated with a person he believed was a 14-year-old boy on a social networking app.
Unknown to Casey, the “teen” actually was a detective with the Lake County Sheriff’s Office Cyber Crimes Unit, the release stated.
Casey requested to meet the underage boy and drove to Warren Township about 1:30 p.m. Thursday, when he was met by detectives, according to the release.
Officers arrested Casey and charged him with indecent solicitation of a child and possession of drug paraphernalia.
If convicted of indecent solicitation of a child, Casey could be sentenced to as many as five years in prison.
He remained at the Lake County Jail on Friday morning, awaiting a bond hearing.
“Our Cyber Crimes Unit works to protect society’s most vulnerable, our children,” Lake County Sheriff Mark Curran said in the release. “Cases like this serve as an important reminder to parents of the need to always monitor what your children are doing online and who they are speaking with.”
