Buffalo Grove man pleads to battery, avoids prostitution charge

A Buffalo Grove man charged with trying to talk a teenage girl into going to work as a prostitute pleaded guilty to a lesser offense Tuesday.

Lake County Associate Judge George Bridges placed Leo Gutkin, 62, on probation for two years after accepting his guilty plea to misdemeanor battery.

Assistant State's Attorney Brett Henne said Gutkin, of the 200 block of Old Oak Court Lane W, was hired by the parents of a 16-year-old Vernon Hills girl to teach her how to drive a car.

Gutkin picked her up for her first lesson Oct. 5, Henne said, and the girl told her she wanted to be dropped off at her part-time job at the end of the lesson.

Police said Gutkin told the girl he had a friend who ran an "erotic massage parlor" where she could make $5,000 a month performing sex acts with men.

After Gutkin dropped her off at her job, the girl called her parents who in turn took her to Vernon Hills police.

Gutkin was charged with the felony offenses of solicitation for a juvenile prostitute and indecent solicitation of a child.

He was also charged with misdemeanor battery for touching the girl's leg in an "insulting or provoking manner," while she was in the car with him.

Henne said he agreed to drop the felony charges against Gutkin in return for his plea to the misdemeanor.

Bridges also fined Gutkin $1,500, ordered him to perform 100 hours of community service and told him he would have to complete whatever counseling program his probation officer recommended.