(Lake County, IL) – A Wonder Lake man was arraigned Friday, September 10, 2021 on charges of indecent solicitation of a minor for allegedly traveling to a location near Grayslake under the belief he would be meeting with a 14-year-old girl for a sexual encounter.
Instead, he was met by Lake County Sheriff’s detectives and arrested at the predetermined meeting spot.
Aaron Cornelius, 36, pleaded not guilty to two counts of indecent solicitation of a child, and one count of traveling to meet a minor. All three counts are felonies and carry potential prison terms, but also can result in probation or work release.
Assistant State’s Attorney Mary Stanton told the court that if Cornelius is convicted on any of the charges, he will be required to register as a sex offender for 10 years.
The plea was entered before Lake County Circuit Judge Patricia Fix, who set a trial date for Cornelius of Jan. 24, 2022, and case management hearing for Nov. 2, 2021.
Authorities said Cornelius was caught Aug. 9 in a sting being run by Naval Criminal Investigative Services, (NCIS), Homeland Security, and the Sheriff’s Office.
Cornelius allegedly mentioned that he was worried about a police sting while he was chatting online with an NCIS agent posing as a 14-year-old girl. Nonetheless, he discussed acts he would like to perform with her and wanted a meeting.
Bail was set at $750,000 for Cornelius, who remains in custody in the Lake County Jail.
During his arraignment Friday, Fix stated that if Cornelius is eventually able to post bond, which would require $75,000, she would rule that he must have no contact with children under 18, he cannot be in daycare, park or school locations, cannot log into any interactive online sites, and he must provide authorities access to all of his communication devices.
^^ MOBILE? USE VOICE MIC ^^
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