Naperville man faces child porn charges

A Naperville man accused of trying to lure a child to the Wheaton Public Library for sex has been charged with possession of child pornography and other offenses, police said Wednesday.

Eric Pence, 19, of the 1700 block of Brookdale Road, was being held on $200,000 bail in DuPage County jail.

Pence is accused of attempting to lure a child to the library in June for the purposes of engaging in sexual activity, court records show. He surrendered to Wheaton police Sept. 7 after he was charged with having pornographic images of a young girl who was known to him, according to court records and police.

In a news release, Wheaton police said Pence’s arrest was the result of an undercover investigation into a complaint filed by the parents of a 12-year-old child. Police didn’t say whether the child was depicted in the alleged pornography and the state’s attorney’s office said it could provide no further information.

One of the charges alleges Pence communicated with the girl depicted in the alleged pornography, who is younger than 15, by text messages and tried to entice her into sex. The others do not identify a victim.

In addition to child pornography possession, Pence is charged with grooming, traveling to meet a minor and luring a minor, according to court records. He’s scheduled to appear Oct. 1 before Judge George Bakalis.