Teens' Info Leads To Arrest Of Man Who Followed Them
BARRINGTON, Ill. (STMW) - Quick thinking by two northwest suburban students who were approached and spoken to by a stranger last week led to the man's arrest days later.
At about 3:15 p.m. Friday, two 13-year-old students were approached by a man in a dark-colored sedan as they walked home from the school bus on Prospect Avenue near Waverly Road in Barrington, according to Barrington police.
The man, whom they did not know, asked them, "How far are you walking?" and "Do you need a ride home?" The students answered no, but one of them entered the vehicle's license plate number in her cell phone, while the other memorized the car's description and plate, and gave it to police. Both told their parents about the incident as soon as they got home.
Rodney T. Peterson, 33, of the 500 block of West Miner St. in Arlington Heights was arrested Monday and charged with disorderly conduct, a release from police said. He is scheduled to appear in court March 19 in Rolling Meadows.
The northwest suburban area has experienced several such incidents in recent months, but two incidents in Barrington (March 2 and Jan. 10) appear unrelated to each other and to those in other communities, police said.
Police credit the teens in the latest incident with memorizing the details of the driver, vehicle and license plate, which led to a quick arrest, the release said.
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