Des Plaines man accused of trying to solicit teen

A clerk at a Rolling Meadows gas station has been charged with trying to solicit sex from a 16-year-old boy Monday during an exchange the teen recorded on his cellphone.

Kalpseshkumar Thakkar, 45, of Des Plaines was charged with indecent solicitation and ordered held on $75,000 bail Wednesday. Thakkar, who prosecutors say has no criminal background, faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted.

The teen, who had been to the gas station several times, knew Thakkar by sight, Cook County Assistant State's Attorney Alyssa Grissom said. After the teen paid for his gas, Thakkar followed him to his car and the increasingly uncomfortable teen told the man he was not yet 18, Grissom said.

Undeterred, Thakkar propositioned the teen, suggested he come around for a sexual encounter when business was slow and offered to prop open the back door for him, Grissom said.

According to prosecutors, the teen captured their discussion on his cellphone. Afterward, the teen drove to the Rolling Meadows Police Department, where he made a report. Thakkar was arrested a short time later, Grissom said.

He next appears in court Aug. 10.