An Orland Park man who tried to lure a minor into a sexual encounter online remained at large Wednesday nearly a week after a Lake County judge issued a warrant for his arrest, according to a Lake County sheriff’s office news release.
Connor N. Smith, 32, of the 8200 block of Hillcrest Drive, fled from Lake County sheriff’s detectives when they tried to arrest him on Feb. 9 as part of an ongoing effort to trap predators who solicit underage girls online, authorities said. The judge issued the warrant the following day.
For several weeks prior to Feb. 9, an undercover detective posing as a girl under 15 years of age was communicating with Smith online, the release said.
During the online conversations, Smith sent “the child” sexually explicit images and videos of himself, authorities said. He then made arrangements to meet her “for a sexual encounter,” according to the release.
When Smith arrived to meet the girl, detectives moved in to arrest him, but he escaped in his vehicle. The judge issued the arrest warrant for traveling to meet a minor, grooming and disseminating harmful material, with bail to be set at $1 million, officials said.
Sheriff John D. Idleburg said in an email with the increased ease of children’s online access over the years and the subsequent use of the internet by predators, his department has stepped up its efforts to prevent criminal use of electronic communications.
“Predators know how to exploit children for their own sexual gratification,” he said. “This is largely (due) in part to electronic devices being at the fingertips of nearly every child. We make it a priority to investigate and arrest those who use the internet to prey on children.”