Palatine detective earns national honor for preventing teen's victimization
A Palatine police investigator has earned national recognition for his work leading to the arrest of a California man who authorities say traveled to the village to arrange a sexual encounter with a teenage girl.
Detective Mike Myerson received a Missing Children's Child Protection Award from the U.S. Department of Justice during the 40th annual observance of National Missing Children's Day in Washington, D.C.
The award recognizes extraordinary efforts by law enforcement officers who make a significant contribution to protecting children from abuse or victimization.
Myerson's work led to the January 2022 arrest of Hunter H. Dotson at O'Hare International Airport as he awaited a flight back to California.
Dotson, then 19, of Moreno Valley, was charged with one count of traveling to meet a child.
According to Liz Ryan, administrator of the U.S. Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, Myerson was contacted by Cook County's Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force on Jan. 7, 2022, about a "priority one cyber tip" from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
The tip indicated that Dotson was traveling from California to Michigan to pick up a 14-year-old girl to begin a sexual relationship with her and marry her, Ryan said.
The tip, from the girl's mother, reported that Dotson was staying at a motel in Palatine on his way to Michigan.
Myerson determined that Dotson was not at the motel but learned he had booked a flight out of O'Hare that afternoon. He met with Chicago police at the airport, where they apprehended Dotson as he attempted to board a plane.
Ryan said Myerson worked through the weekend, preparing preservation orders and search warrants for social media apps and Dotson's cellphone.
According to Palatine police, Dotson communicated with the girl over a three-month period through messages, phone calls and video chats. On Jan. 3, 2022, Dotson flew to O'Hare and stayed in a Palatine motel until Jan. 6, while continuing to communicate with the girl, police said.
The girl's parents confronted Dotson and alerted authorities, police said.