Lake Bluff-area man accused of trying to lure N. Carolina boy

A Lake County man and registered sexual predator was charged with two felonies after buying a bus ticket for a 12-year-old North Carolina boy he intended to bring to his home near Lake Bluff, police said Monday.

Jason M. Silsdorf, 36, was apprehended by Lake County sheriff's officers Monday morning at his home on the 500 block of Rockland Road. Officers seized several electronics, which officials said will be searched.

A Lake County judge issued a warrant for Silsdorf's arrest Friday and set his bail at $3 million. That means Silsdorf will have to pay $300,000 to leave jail pending his trial.

Silsdorf is charged with luring and unlawful failure of a sexual offender to report an internet site.

Lake County sheriff's Lt. Chris Covelli said investigators were contacted by the sheriff's office in Cumberland County, North Carolina, in January after a parent there had reported text and TikTok messages that had been sent to a 12-year-old boy.

Authorities said they determined the messages had been sent by Silsdorf, who they said was making arrangements with the child to travel to Silsdorf's home.

Over the course of the investigation, officers also found that Silsdorf had bought a bus ticket to Chicago and had emailed it to the boy, authorities said. Silsdorf told the boy he would meet him at the bus station and take him to his home outside Lake Bluff, officials said.

Covelli said Silsdorf was convicted in February 2017 of aggravated criminal sexual assault of a person who was intellectually disabled.

"The internet is a very easy place for predators to hide," Lake County Sheriff John D. Idleburg said in a statement. "Any parent would be shocked to learn their child is engaging in communication with a sexual predator, but it happens far too often. Thankfully, in this case, an alert parent found concerning messages before their child boarded a bus out of state."