A Woodstock man has received probation after accepting a plea deal for attempting to abduct a young girl from a lemonade stand in Fox River Grove.
John C. Emerson, 33, of the 1600 block of Poplar Lane in Woodstock, was charged with child abduction, a Class 4 felony, luring of a minor, a Class 4 felony, and resisting a peace officer, a Class A misdemeanor.
Court documents show the incident happened at Yorkshire Drive and Foxmoor Road in Fox River Grove around 12 p.m. on June 7, 2019.
Emerson attempted to lure a child into his vehicle from a lemonade stand at Foxmoor Park, police said at the time.
Emerson told the girl that her mother asked him to pick her up, a grand jury indictment said.
Emerson did not know the child, who was under the age of 13. She ran away and told her parents about the incident, police said.
Emerson fled the scene and was involved in a hit-and-run crash near Lake Motel, 400 West Virginia Street in Crystal Lake, court documents show.
When police officers attempted to arrest the man, he allegedly refused to exit his vehicle and resisted arrest.
On Friday, Emerson entered into a negotiated plea deal with the McHenry County State’s Attorney’s Office.
He pleaded guilty to one count of attempted unlawful restraint, a Class A misdemeanor, in exchange for prosecutors dropping his other charges.
McHenry County Judge Michael Coppedge approved the deal and sentenced Emerson to two years of probation. He will also be required to pay $1,710 in court fines and fees.
Emerson’s attorney, George Kililis, told the Northwest Herald that he thought the outcome of the case was fair for his client.
A professional evaluation showed Emerson’s actions were not sexually motivated, Kililis said.