Sex Offender Agreed To Meet Cop Posing As Teen In Downers Grove: PD

DOWNERS GROVE, IL — A Chicago man who was convicted of child solicitation in Minnesota is accused of arranging to meet an online user whom he thought was a 13-year-old girl for sex at a hotel in Downers Grove.

Derrick Willman, 58, was charged with solicitation of a child — aggravated criminal sexual abuse, traveling to meet a minor, child sex offender communicating through the internet and grooming in connection with the Jan. 2 incident. Willman was on probation at the time of his arrest.

Prosecutors say an undercover Downers Grove police officer posed as the 13-year-old, "Melissa," in a teen chat room amid "ongoing efforts to monitor the Internet for sexual predators." Willman is accused of using the name ChiGuy to contact "Melissa."

According to police, Willman asked to meet "Melissa" after he was told she is in eighth grade. Willman is accused of asking "Melissa" "u want to make love?" and sending her "other messages of a sexual nature," per a news release from DuPage County State's Attorney's Office. He is also accused of sending a photograph of himself to "Melissa."

Police say Willman arranged to meet "Melissa" on Jan. 2 at a hotel in Downers Grove and that Willman drove to the hotel, waited for an hour in the parking lot and did not go inside. Officers pulled Willman over shortly after he left the hotel lot and took him into custody.

“Undoubtedly, the Internet has become an easily accessible necessity and a part of the everyday lives of millions of people,” DuPage County State's Attorney Robert Berlin said in a statement.

Berlin added, “Unfortunately, this convenience and society’s reliance on the Internet comes with a price. While this case did not involve a thirteen-year-old girl, it serves as a reminder to us all how easy it can be for predators, as alleged in this case, to reach our children without their parents’ knowledge. I encourage parents to talk to their children about Internet safety and to instruct their children to be cautious when communicating with others via Internet chat rooms or other online platforms.

Willman is being held at DuPage County Jail and is scheduled to appear in court on Jan. 27.