Elgin man charged with stalking middle schoolers

An Elgin man is facing felony charges after being accused of making "inappropriate statements" to female students from Abbott Middle School, according Police Chief Ana Lalley, who discussed details of the case on her Friday radio show.

Alan S. Rendon, 25, of the 500 block of N. Grove Ave., is charged with two counts of stalking. His bond was set at $100,000.

A female student at Abbott told police on Jan. 18 that a man in his 20s, with short hair and some facial hair, harassed students by making inappropriate statements as he followed them in his vehicle while the students walked home from school, Lalley said.

Part of searching for a suspect including posting photos of a Ford Edge on Facebook during the investigation.

Lalley said her department posted the photos - even though that might alert Rendon police were looking for him - because police belieeved there was an ongoing public threat.

"It's a community safety issue," Lalley said. "If we don't put that information out, and something happens, the community will say, 'Why didn't you guys tell us?' It is not just put it out on Facebook. It is not that simple. We make the determination of is this an isolated incident, or is this a public safety threat."

Information police released on the case said Rendon was also observed following students in his vehicle while driving on the 300-400 block of Standish Street, a little more than a mile from Abbott Middle School.