Lake County man admits sex abuse of teen he met on social media
A Lake County man accused of sexually abusing a 15-year-old girl he met on social media agreed to a plea deal Monday that could put him in prison for up to four years.
Steve W. Spoerl, 54, of the 24700 block of West Townline Road near Round Lake, pleaded guilty Monday morning in front of Lake County Judge Victoria Rossetti to two counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse.
Spoerl is eligible to receive day-for-day credit while serving his prison sentence and already has credit for 168 days he has served in Lake County jail since his arrest earlier this year.
After finishing the four-year prison sentence, Spoerl must serve another 18 months of periodic imprisonment, said Assistant Lake County Assistant State's Attorney Eric Kalata.
He'll spend that time in the Lake County jail, going free only for work, to search for work, for court appearances, or to meet with attorneys or doctors. If he complies with requirements during his periodic imprisonment, he could go before Rossetti and ask that the rest of the sentence be lifted.
Spoerl must also spend two years on probation, perform 200 hours of public service, go through sex offender evaluation and register as a sex offender for the rest of his life, Kalata said.
A third count of aggravated criminal sexual abuse and charges of possession of child pornography and soliciting child pornography were dropped in exchange for the plea deal.
Kalata said in court Monday that Spoerl connected with the teen girl over a social media app called "Whisper." Using the app, Spoerl arranged a meeting with the teen, then took her to a Waukegan motel where sex acts took place, Kalata said.
The family of the teen filed a missing-person report, Kalata said. Three days later, the victim - a diabetic who had not been taking her medication - reached out to a friend through social media, saying she needed help.
Police traced the a communication to Spoerl's house, where he was arrested, Kalata said. The girl slipped into a diabetic coma and was taken to Advocate Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge for treatment.
Spoerl has been held in Lake County jail on $1 million bail since his arrest in June.