Huntley police: 77-year-old man had explicit video chat with child

Huntley police say a 77-year-old Port Barrington man asked a child to perform a sex act over a video chat, initiated sexually explicit texts and tried to arrange meetings with the child.

Robert L. Wilkinson is charged with two felony counts of soliciting a child to perform a sex act and one felony count of soliciting to meet a child for unlawful purposes, according to Huntley police and a criminal complaint filed in McHenry County court.

Wilkinson was arrested Thursday at his home. On Friday, he made his first appearance in court, where Judge Mark Gerhardt granted Wilkinson’s pretrial release from jail.

The investigation began this month when a mother reported to police that she found “disturbing content on her 14-year-old son’s phone,” according to a press release from Huntley police.

“It appeared the juvenile was communicating with multiple unidentified adults, who were exchanging images of child pornography with the juvenile,” according to the release.

Police reviewed the child’s devices and “found conversations on various social media and communication applications in which unidentified adults initiated sexually explicit text. Huntley police detectives located a messaging chain through Skype, in which an unidentified adult male initiated sexually explicit text and live video conversations with the victim after the juvenile disclosed his age,” according to the release.

In addition, the adult “tried to arrange meetings with the juvenile and offered to provide cannabis products in exchange for sexual acts,” according to the release.

Police said they retrieved “data from devices” and filed “multiple search warrants and subpoenas for different online accounts” before eventually identifying Wilkinson.

Authorities say the investigation still is active.

Anyone with information regarding this case is encouraged to call Huntley police at (847) 515-5311. Anonymous tips can be submitted to the Huntley police tip line at (847) 515-5333.