Man charged with indecent solicitation dies in prison

A Chicago Heights man accused of indecent solicitation of a Naperville teen this week died in prison Wednesday morning in an apparent suicide, authorities said.

Bryan E. Halstead, 44, of 1 E. 23rd St., Apt. N, was being held at Stateville Correctional Center after Naperville police arrested him Tuesday afternoon.

"I can confirm we are investigating his death and it appears to be suicide," said Derek Schnapp, a spokesman for the Illinois Department of Corrections.

Police said Halstead had been posing as a 16-year-old Naperville boy and having online chats of a sexual nature with a 16-year-old Naperville girl over the past two weeks.

Halstead also asked the girl to send him inappropriate digital photos, according to officials.

"There was no physical contact between the two that we know of," Naperville police Cmdr. Dave Hoffman said.

The girl's parents found the online chats conducted through a MySpace Web site and contacted police who then assumed the teen's identity for a meeting Halstead set up Tuesday afternoon in downtown Naperville.

Halstead arrived at the agreed upon location behind a business in the 500 block of South Washington Street and was arrested without incident.

A registered sex offender, he spent time in prison for a 1985 home invasion and sexual assault in Aurora. He was released on parole in December.

After his arrest Tuesday, Naperville police turned Halstead over to parole agents from the Illinois Department of Corrections.

Naperville police regularly hold Internet safety seminars to help parents protect their children online.

"The main focus should always be awareness of what Web sites their children are visiting and to be involved in that process," Hoffman said.