Aurora man convicted of sexual abuse faces 81 years in prison
An Aurora man has been convicted of aggravated criminal sexual abuse and child pornography charges.
Kane County Judge David Kliment found Ronald J. Lye, 54, guilty on Jan. 9.
Lye was convicted of aggravated criminal sexual abuse, manufacturing child pornography, and possessing child pornography.
Lye was taken into custody upon conviction.
Between April 1 and May 7, 2020, Lye had been accused of driving to a 13-year-old child’s home to pick them up, taking the child to his home, and sexually abusing them between April 1 and May 7, 2020, court records show.
The two met via the Grindr dating app for gay men, according to testimony at Lye’s trial. The child’s mother discovered one night that the child had sneaked out and was not home at 11 p.m. When the child returned, the parents checked the child’s phone.
Lye gave the child beer and margaritas and dressed the them in costumes, according to the child’s trial testimony.
According to a search warrant, in one of the messages to the teen, Lye wondered if this was a sting by a TV crime show.
“Why do I feel like I am going to be on ‘To Catch A Predator?’” Lye messaged the teen.
Lye was charged twice in 1999 and once in 1998 with impersonating a police officer, according to Kane County court records. In a September 1999 case, he also was charged with illegally detaining someone, illegal use of blue oscillating vehicle lights, and armed violence. He pleaded guilty to false impersonation of a peace officer and use of blue lights.
Lye will be sentenced on Feb. 28. He faces a minimum sentence of 81 years in prison.