Police: Wonder Lake man thought he was meeting 14-year-old girl

A Wonder Lake man was arrested after he drove to Warren Township for an encounter with "a 14-year-old girl" who turned out to be an undercover detective, police said.

Aaron C. Cornelius, 36, is charged with indecent solicitation of a child and remains in Lake County jail on $750,000 bail, which means he would need to put up $75,000 in cash to leave jail before his trial.

Lake County sheriff's Lt. Christopher Covelli said the undercover detective was a member of the sheriff's special investigations group. The detective posed as a 14-year-old girl on a social media app.

Covelli said sheriff's detectives routinely pose as children online in an effort to identify and apprehend those using the internet to prey on children.

Sheriff John D. Idleburg said he wants parents and guardians to talk to their children about the risks.

"Online predators are prevalent, and they lurk in the shadows of cyberspace," Idleburg said.

Cornelius will next be before a judge on Aug. 13.