Elgin man charged with soliciting 14-year-old girl

An Elgin man who thought he was arranging a sexual rendezvous with a 14-year-old girl was arrested earlier this month after instead being confronted by Lake County sheriff’s police, authorities announced Tuesday.

Marco Gomez, 27, of the 300 block of Standish Street, is charged with four counts of indecent solicitation of a child as a result of the July 3 arrest, police said.

After posting an advertisement on a website seeking a companion, Gomez began communicating with someone he thought was a teenage girl, police said. In reality, that person was Lake County sheriff’s detective.

Gomez was arrested as part of a sting operation after arranging to meet with the girl, police said. During a subsequent interview, Gomez told detectives his intentions were to meet with the 14-year-old girl to engage in sexual activities, according to the sheriff’s office.

Gomez, who is being held at the Lake County jail on $75,000 bond, is scheduled to appear in court Wednesday. The charges against him are Class 3 felonies that carry a maximum sentence of up to five years in prison.