Glen Ellyn man charged with indecent solicitation of a child

A 42-year-old Glen Ellyn man faces several charges after a 1½-month investigation by DuPage County sheriff's deputies and members of the MERIT task force revealed he was having sexually inappropriate online conversations with an officer posing as a 14-year-old girl.

Bernardo Tello, 42, of the 500 block of Hillside Avenue, is charged with indecent solicitation of a child-aggravated criminal sexual abuse and traveling to meet a minor, authorities said Thursday. DuPage Judge John Kinsella set his bail at $40,000.

Authorities said their investigation found that in addition to having sexually explicit online conversations, Tello arranged to meet his target in a Glen Ellyn restaurant. After meeting the girl, authorities believe Tello intended to go to her home for a sexual encounter.

During the probe, Tello also was found to have an outstanding warrant from 1998 alleging theft, DUI and aggravated battery of a senior

"As a parent, knowing this behavior exists terrifies me," DuPage Sheriff James Mendrick said in a written statement. "This is one of the reasons the MERIT Task Force was created."

The sheriff's Digital Forensic Investigations Unit worked with partners from the Metropolitan Emergency Response and Investigation Team that included officers from the Addison, Glen Ellyn, Darien, Villa Park, Hinsdale and Elmhurst police departments.

"Sexual crimes are, by their very nature, among the worst of crimes, with perpetrators leaving their victims to suffer not only at the time of the assault, but possibly for years to come," DuPage County State's Attorney Robert Berlin said in a statement.