Cops: Elgin man had sex with runaway teen
A 23-year-old Elgin man was arrested Thursday on charges he had sex with and harbored a teenage runaway from Hoffman Estates.
Israel H. Perez Jr., of the 600 block of Hill Street, has been charged with aggravated criminal sexual assault of a minor with an age difference greater than five years, harboring a runaway and contributing to the delinquency of a juvenile, police said.
On Wednesday, the 16-year-old girl ran away from the Hoffman Estates home she shares with her parents.
The mother tracked her to Perez's address using the pair's text messages and notified Hoffman Estates police, officials said.
Perez lied to a Hoffman Estates detective about the girl being with him, police said, and when Elgin officers turned up Thursday they found the girl at his home.
Elgin Deputy Police Chief Cecil Smith said the two had been seeing each other for about a month and that they have had sex several times, although Perez knew she was not of age. The girl has since returned home.
Perez's bond was set Friday morning at $25,000 and he is due on court April 1 at the Kane County Judicial Center.
If found guilty of the most serious charge, he could spend between three and seven years behind bars.