Orland Man Wanted For Arranging Sex With 'Girl' In Sting Operation

LAKE COUNTY, IL — A nationwide arrest warrant has been issued for an Orland Park man who authorities say arranged online to meet a young girl for a sexual encounter, unaware that he had been communicating with an undercover agent.

Lake County sheriff's police say Connor Smith, 32, of the 8200 block of Hillcrest Drive, was sending sexually explicit images and videos of himself to the undercover agent posing as a young girl under the age of 15 for several weeks.

On Feb. 9, officials say Smith drove to meet the girl for the arranged sexual encounter, but fled the scene in his vehicle when police closed in. The next day, a nationwide arrest warrant was issued for Smith on charges of traveling to meet a minor, grooming and disseminating harmful material.

A Lake County Judge set bond on the warrant at $1 million.

Smith indicated he would surrender himself on the arrest warrant, but as of Feb. 14, has failed to do so, according to the Lake County Sheriff's Office. Anyone who sees Smith is advised not to approach him, and contact local law enforcement.

The investigation was led by the Lake County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigations Division, in collaboration with the Naval Criminal Investigative Service.

In a previous incident, Smith was arrested in December 2021, after police said that he met a 16-year-old girl online and arranged to meet her at an Indiana hotel. Court records showed that once at the hotel, police said that Smith — who once appeared on an MTV reality show — raped the girl, which led to him being criminally charged.

However, charges were dropped against Smith in September 2022, after officials said the victim that originally met up with Smith stopped cooperating with law enforcement officials. Days later, Smith issued a statement through his attorney saying how dramatically the charges and rape allegations had affected his life.