Lake in the Hills man charged with solicitation of child

A Lake in the Hills man faces felony charges after trying to arrange a meeting for sex with what he thought was a teenage boy, but turned out to be a Lake County sheriff's detective, authorities announced Monday.

Jeremy T. Mansfield, 20, of the 400 block of Winslow Way, was arrested Sept. 4 after he posted an ad on Craigslist for a male companion, then unknowingly began communications with the detective, Lake County Sheriff Sgt. Sara Balmes said.

When Mansfield arrived at the location of the meeting, he was met by sheriff's office detectives.

During an interview, Mansfield told detectives his intentions were to meet with the boy to engage in sexual activities, police said. He was charged with two counts of indecent solicitation of a child.

Mansfield, who attended college in Washington but moved back to Illinois in recent months, also told detectives he had sexual intercourse with a 15-year-old girl in Idaho while attending college, and that he posts ads on many websites seeking males or females of any age, police said.

Mansfield's bail was set at $100,000, and he is scheduled to appear in court on Sept. 25.

Anyone with additional information on Mansfield should contact Detective Chris Covelli of the Lake County Sheriff's Office at (847) 377 4145.