Man Charged With Sexual Assault Of 13-Year-Old Met On Myspace
SKOKIE , Ill. (STMW/WBBM) -- A north suburban man who was caught having sex with a 13-year-old girl he met on Myspace is being held in the Cook County Jail after being charged with sexual assault.
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Steve Burton, 20, of the 1800 block of California Avenue in North Chicago, is charged with one count of criminal sexual assault and one count of aggravated criminal sexual abuse, according to the Cook County Sheriff's office.
On Jan. 15, Burton and the teen victim were discovered in a vehicle parked in Lions Woods at Golf and River roads by a Des Plaines police officer, according to a release from the sheriff's office. The officer noticed two people in the car who appeared to be getting dressed, including the underage girl.
Both were taken to the Des Plaines Police Dept., where the girl said she met Burton on Myspace when she was 12, and they had texted and chatted on Facebook and by cell phone for about six months, the release said.
She also said they had met in person several times and Burton knew she was underage. The victim said Burton called her several times on Jan. 15, then showed up at her home and drove her to the forest preserve, where they engaged in sex acts, the release said.
Burton admitted in a written statement that he knew the victim was 12 when they met online, and that they had engaged in sex acts on at least four other occasions, the release said.
Burton, who was ordered held on $100,000 bond at a hearing Jan. 17 in Skokie, is scheduled for a preliminary hearing Feb. 3.
Burton's address was on the Great Lakes naval base but it was not immediately known if Burton was enlisted.
The sheriff's Women's Justice Services unit has reached out to assist the victim, and the state Department of Children and Family Services is also investigating the case.
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