Wheeling man gets probation for incident involving son's accuser

A Wheeling man accused of harassing a teenage girl who had claimed his son molested her pleaded guilty to a related misdemeanor charge Thursday under a deal allowing him to avoid trial on a pair of felonies.

George Leon, 69, was sentenced to a year of probation under the negotiated plea in which he admitted guilt to a disorderly conduct charge alleging he made a false 911 report after the 13-year-old girl's father confronted him.

In return for the guilty plea, McHenry County prosecutors dismissed felony counts of harassing a witness and disorderly conduct stemming from a July 8, 2008, incident outside the girl's Spring Grove area home.

McHenry County Sheriff's deputies arrested Leon, of the 1300 block of Glengarry Court, after an incident that began when he was spotted shooting photos of the girl's home about 10 p.m. When confronted by the girl's father, sheriff's police said, Leon called 911 and falsely claimed he was assaulted.

Assistant McHenry County State's Attorney Ryan Blackney said in court Thursday that his office agreed to drop the felony harassment charge because the evidence could not prove Leon actually threatened the girl or her family.

"The charge requires the conveyance of a threat, and here there was no threat conveyed," he said.

Leon's son, Michael G. Leon, 36, of the same address, is scheduled to go on trial next week on two counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse stemming from accusations he had improper contact with the 13-year-old girl on separate occasions in May and June 2008.

Wayne Brucar, an attorney representing both Leons, declined to comment Thursday.