Illinois Man Facing Charges After Allegedly Traveling to Minnesota to Meet Teen Girl

(KNSI) — An Illinois man is facing felony charges after allegedly traveling to St. Cloud to meet up with someone he thought was a teenage girl he chatted with online.

According to the criminal complaint, 56-year-old Derek Willman began messaging someone on a teen chat website on March 31st. He sent photos of himself and provided a phone number, and investigators traced the messages to an address in Illinois. He said he was 47 and asked if she minded older guys, then asked what she looked like and said he was planning a trip to Minneapolis but could drive to St. Cloud to take her out. The person said they were 14 and asked if that was OK, to which Willman said he was and “it would have to be our secret.” He called her “sooo kissable” and said he wanted to get to know her, not just see her once. He asked if she “wants to do more than kiss,” and after she said yes, he said, “Cool. Me too.” The two continued messaging, and Willman described in detail what he wanted to do to her and made plans to meet her in St. Cloud. She gave him an address for a house, and when he arrived on April 18th, Willman was arrested when he knocked on the door.

He gave investigators his name and birthdate, which they say checked out against what police had found. In a sworn statement, he allegedly admitted he traveled to Minnesota to meet someone, but Willman said he believed she was over 18 and didn’t know if they were going to have sex, as she said it was her first time and he didn’t want to push anything like that.

Willman was charged with attempted third and fourth degree criminal sexual conduct, electronic solicitation of a minor to engage in sexual conduct and electronic solicitation of a minor describing sexual conduct. Unconditional bail was set at $250,000. He is due back in court on May 19th.

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