A Wisconsin man was arrested after authorities say he arranged to meet a child through social media, picked the boy up at home and sexually abused him at a park in Harvard where an officer found them early Tuesday.
Rene Mondragon-Candido, 41, of Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, was charged with two counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse, a Class 2 felony, and traveling to meet a minor, a Class 3 felony.
A Harvard Police Department officer was conducting a park check around 12:58 a.m. Tuesday at Milky Way Park, 300 Lawrence Road in Harvard, when he saw a gray Nissan parked in the lot in violation of a city ordinance.
The officer approached the Nissan to investigate and found a man in the driver’s seat and a juvenile boy in the rear seat, the police department said.
Officers identified the driver as Mondragon-Candido.
Mondragon-Candido allegedly lied when officers first questioned him and claimed the boy was his nephew, prosecutors said.
Prosecutors said Mondragon-Candido later admitted he had met the boy through a social media app.
Officers learned during the investigation that Mondragon-Candido had communicated with the boy through social media text messages to arrange the meeting, police said.
Mondragon-Candido allegedly drove from Lake Geneva to Harvard and picked the boy up from the child’s residence, prosecutors said.
He then allegedly drove the boy to Milky Way Park and engaged in sexual acts with him there, according to a criminal complaint filed in McHenry County Circuit Court.
Mondragon-Candido was transported to the McHenry County Jail and appeared for an Initial Appearance Court hearing on Tuesday afternoon.
Prosecutors filed a petition to detain him pending trial and McHenry County Judge Cynthia Lamb granted the petition.
“This case demonstrates what can be accomplished when law enforcement and prosecutors work together with urgency and a shared commitment to protecting children,” McHenry County State’s Attorney Randi Freese said after the hearing.
“We commend the Harvard Police Department and the officers whose vigilance led them to investigate what they encountered and intervene,” Freese said.
“From the moment this investigation began in the early morning hours, Harvard Police worked closely with our office to ensure that the evidence was quickly reviewed, appropriate felony charges were filed, and this man was brought before a judge that same day,” Freese said.
“That kind of immediate coordination is critical when the safety of a child is at stake,” she said.
The arrest comes less than a month after the Harvard Police Department arrested another man who prosecutors said traveled to Harvard to meet a juvenile and sexually abused the child at the same park.
Milton Espino-Mejia, 25, of Chicago, was charged in that case with aggravated criminal sexual abuse, a Class 2 felony, and traveling to meet a minor, a Class 3 felony.
Prosecutors said Espino-Mejia met the juvenile through his work as a photographer at a party and traveled from Chicago on September 4 to pick up the child.
Officers conducting a park check at 300 Lawrence Road saw Espino-Mejia’s silver Acura in the parking lot and approached to investigate, police officials said.
The Acura activated its headlights and began to leave the lot before officers stopped it for vehicle violations.
Prosecutors said Espino-Mejia admitted to officers that he had engaged in sexual conduct with the child.
The Harvard Police Department said the investigation is ongoing and there is no immediate threat to residents.
Mondragon-Candido is scheduled to appear in court again on November 18 for a status of preliminary hearing.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Harvard Police Department at 815-943-4431 or leave an anonymous tip with the Harvard Crime Stoppers Tip Line at 815-943-4343.