Lake County man denies sexually abusing teen he met on social media
A Lake County man accused of sexually abusing a teenage girl in a Waukegan motel room pleaded not guilty Wednesday to charges that could send him to prison for 45 years.
Steve W. Spoerl, 53, of the 24700 block of West Townline Road near Round Lake, faces charges of aggravated criminal sexual abuse and possession of child pornography stemming from his arrest last month.
Assistant Lake County State's Attorney Eric Kalata said Spoerl arranged to meet the girl June 9 in Crystal Lake, after initially contacting her through a social media app. After the meeting, Kalata said, Spoerl took the girl from Crystal Lake to a motel room in Waukegan where sex acts took place.
The girl's family filed a missing-person report for the teen June 9, Kalata said. Three days later, she reached out to a friend through social media saying she needed help.
Police traced the communication to Spoerl's house, and he was arrested June 12, Kalata said. The girl was taken to Advocate Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge for an unrelated medical issue, he added.
Authorities say they also confiscated computers, camera recordings and cellphones when Spoerl was taken into custody. Spoerl also admitted to performing sex acts with the teen, Kalata said.
Spoerl remains held in Lake County jail on $1 million bail. He is due back in court Aug. 21 and is scheduled for trial Sept. 18.