Registered Sex Offender Detected With Automated License Plate Readers

LAKE FOREST, IL — A registered sex offender who lives in Libertyville is accused of illegally driving onto the campus of a Lake Forest private school.

Glenn Stephens, 68, of the 1300 block of Appletree Lane, was arrested Tuesday and charged with presence of registered sex offender on school grounds in connection with an April 19 incident, police said.

Lake Forest police were alerted by the city's automated license plate reader system that a mini Cooper "linked" to a registered sex offender was headed toward Lake Forest Academy. According to police, officers pulled over the car on Academy Drive as it drove toward Route 60.

Police questioned the driver, Stephens, about driving around the school's campus. He denied being on school property, telling officers he had only pulled over to read a text message on his phone.

Stephens, who has a 2008 conviction in Pennsylvania for indecent solicitation of a child, was initially released without charges as police investigated his whereabouts.

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Lake Forest Academy staff worked with police investigators to review footage from security cameras, which revealed that Stephens' mini Cooper had driven past multiple signs that notified the people they were on Lake Forest Academy property, police said.

Stephens drove past several school buildings and parked in front of the school fitness center, according to police, and his presence was a "clear violation of his registered sex offender status."

Illinois law only allows sex offenders on school grounds if they are the parent or guardian of a student and have official business on campus. Otherwise, they can face a class 4 felony charge.

Pennsylvania court records indicate Stephens was initially charged in Allegheny County with two counts of unlawful contact with minor – obscene and other sexual materials and performances and two counts of criminal use of communication facility in November 2007. Stephens pleaded guilty ahead of trial and was sentenced in September 2008 to five years of probation.

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According to the Illinois State Police sex offender registry, Stephens was 52 and his victim was aged 13 at the time of the offense that led to his conviction.

Prosecutors approved a charge against Stephens and obtained a warrant for his arrest Monday.

On Tuesday, Stephens' mini Cooper triggered an alert from an automated license plate camera operated by Vernon Hills police, which notified officers of the active arrest warrant. Police took him into custody pending a bond hearing

Records show Stephens is separately awaiting trial on a charge of failure to register after changing residence following a Libertyville arrest.