Geneva Man Arrested, Charged In Human Trafficking Operation: ISP

GENEVA, IL — A Geneva man was among four people taken into custody by Illinois State Police in connection to human trafficking, officials said.

Sean Powers, 38, was charged with three felonies — traveling to meet a minor, indecent solicitation of a child, and solicitation to meet a child — and one misdemeanor count of solicitation of a sexual act.

Illinois State Police conducted a two-day human trafficking demand suppression operation on Feb. 25-26 in the Lincolnshire area of Lake County aimed to identify people looking to engage in commercial sex acts.

The effort was part of a "multifaceted approach by ISP aimed at stopping human trafficking in Illinois," officials said. The department defines human trafficking as "the use of force, fraud, or coercion to compel a person into commercial sex acts, labor, or services against their will."

The 32-year-old Edas Romero-Chinchilla, of Round Lake Heights; 40-year-old Elijah Newell, of Chicago; and 57-year-old Timothy Hansen, of Lake Bluff, were also arrested and issued the same charges as Powers.

Police said anyone who suspects human trafficking should contact the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888, text *233733 or email ISP.CrimeTips@illinois.gov.