Wonder Lake man pleads not guilty to trying to arrange a rendezvous with girl
A Wonder Lake man who was arrested after, authorities said, arranging a meeting for sex with a 14-year-old girl near Grayslake, only to be met by Lake County sheriff's detectives instead, pleaded not guilty Friday to charges in Lake County.
Aaron Cornelius, 36, was caught Aug. 9 in a sting run by Naval Criminal Investigative Services, Homeland Security, and the Lake County sheriff's office, according to the Lake County state's attorney's office.
He appeared Friday in Judge Patricia Fix's courtroom, where he pleaded not guilty to two charges of indecent solicitation of a child and one count of traveling to meet a minor. All charges are felonies.
Fix set bail at $750,000.
If Cornelius posts $75,000 bond, he must have no contact with children, cannot be in day care, park or school locations, cannot log into any interactive online sites, and must provide authorities access to all of his communication devices.
According to prosecutors, Cornelius mentioned he was worried about a police sting while he was chatting online with an NCIS agent posing as a 14-year-old girl. However, the state's attorney's office said, he talked about acts he would like to perform with her and wanted a meeting.
Cornelius is scheduled to appear in court again Nov. 2.