An Antioch man was arrested after authorities say he sent sexually explicit images to a child online and groomed the boy, who was actually an undercover detective.
Jared Lorenzen, 28, was arrested at his home in the 800 block of Mockingbird Drive in Antioch Thursday evening.
Village of Antioch Communication Manager Jim Moran said Lorenzen began talking with whom he thought was a 14-year-old boy beginning in November.
The underage boy was actually an undercover Mundelein Police Department detective who was assisting the Antioch Police Department with their investigation.
The messages included Lorenzen sending explicit images of himself to the 14-year-old and eliciting images, Moran said.
Lorenzen also groomed the 14-year-old boy to engage in sexual conduct, Moran said.
Officers found a loaded gun while conducting a search warrant at Lorenzen’s home.
The Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office approved charges of two counts of grooming and one count of disseminating harmful material, which are Class 4 felonies.
Additional charges are possible for possessing the firearm without a FOID card.
Antioch Police Chief Geoffrey Guttschow said a strong message needs to be sent to child predators.
“Keeping our children safe is a top priority of the Antioch Police Department,” said Guttschow.
“Let this incident serve as a warning to anyone who may be considering engaging in this sort of activity, law enforcement is watching and we will use every legal means necessary to prevent you from harming our children. You will be caught and we will arrest you,” Guttschow said.
Lorenzen was arrested and ordered held in the Lake County Jail on a $500,000 bond.
Guttschow said he recommends parents educate themselves and their children about the dangers of engaging with strangers online.
“The anonymity of the internet makes it easy for sexual predators to seek out potential victims,” Guttschow said.
The Antioch Police Department said parents need to learn what websites and social media apps their children use.
Social media accounts should be monitored by parents and children should be educated about not sharing their personal information, the department said.