Online Solicitation Of Girls Lands Crystal Lake Man In Prison

CRYSTAL LAKE, IL – A 21-year-old Crystal Lake man who solicited pictures from girls he started relationships with over social media sites has been sentenced to four years in prison as part of a plea deal reached last week, the Northwest Herald reports. Domenique D. Hines pleaded guilty to one count of child pornography on Friday and, as part of a negotiated plea, a McHenry County judge dismissed child pornography, grooming and indecent solicitation charges and also threw out three other pending cases against Hines on related charges.

In court, prosecutors said Hines, who was 20 years old at the time of his arrest, struck up a conversation with a young teenage girl over Instagram and requested and received a sexually explicit photo from her, according to the report.

Authorities arrested Hines on Oct 4. A Crystal Lake Police Department investigation into Hines revealed he solicited a 14-year-old child from Illinois over social media, trying to get the teen to engage in sexual conduct, and also solicited a 15-year-old child. Police initially investigated allegations surrounding the younger victim, which led them to launch an additional investigation into the older victim, according to a news release from the Crystal Lake Police Department

As for the 15-year-old victim, Hines allegedly met the child through Facebook and other social media venues in June 2017. The two started communicating and their conversations became sexual in nature, police said. Hines gained the trust of the child and obtained several sexually suggestive nude images of the teen over a period of time, according to a news release.

Prosecutors said the child lived out of state at the time the photos were shared with Hines, according to the Northwest Herald. The Crystal Lake Police Department handled the case since it was the agency that recovered the photos and because it is believed Hines received the pictures while he was in McHenry County.

Hines will be required to serve at least half of his prison sentence and will receive credit for time he's already spent in jail. He must register for life as a sex offender, according to the Northwest Herald.

More via the Northwest Herald

Photo via the Crystal Lake Police Department