Three men charged with trying to meet with minors

Three men have been charged with several crimes stemming from efforts to solicit minors on the Internet, authorities said Friday.

The charges resulted from two, 10-day investigations by the Carol Stream Police Department, officials said.

In the first investigation, a Carol Stream detective posed online as a 14-year-old girl and was asked by a man to meet for sexual favors. Adwaitkumar R. Pathak, 29, of Des Plaines, arrived at the meeting on Feb. 10 in Carol Stream with Gaurav Sharma, 21, of Palatine, authorities said. Both were taken into custody.

Pathak later was charged with unlawful solicitation of a minor and grooming, both felonies, as well as attempted aggravated criminal sexual abuse. Felony grooming is a charge recently approved by the Illinois General Assembly and pertains to an adult who initiates a conversation online with a child or someone they believe to be a child and pursues it to the point of solicitation.

Sharma was charged with traveling to meet a minor, also a felony.

Bond was set at $200,000 for both men and they remained Friday in DuPage County jail, sheriff's officials said.

In the second investigation that ended Thursday, a Carol Stream investigator again posed as a 14-year-old girl and was asked by a man to meet for sexual favors.

Police said Dale J. Kreidler, 27, of Plainfield, arrived at the meeting in Carol Stream and was taken into custody. He was later charged with unlawful solicitation of a minor and attempted aggravated criminal sexual abuse.

Sheriff's officials said he also remained Friday in DuPage County jail on a $150,000 bond.