Man, 19, Brought Kidnapped Ohio Children To Illinois: Police

LAKE COUNTY, IL — A 19-year-old Beach Park man faces kidnapping and child endangerment charges in connection with allegations he drove three children from Ohio back to Lake County, Illinois.

Michael Negron, of the 10600 block of West Yorkhouse Road in Beach Park, remains behind bars on a $200,000 bail following his arrest Saturday. Authorities say it's unclear what Negron's intentions were with the 12-year-old girl, who he initially started chatting with online in recent weeks; her 14-year-old sister; and a 15-year-old boy, who was a friend of the girls, according to a news release from the Lake County Sheriff's Office.

A local search for the children got underway after the Lake County Sheriff's Office received a call from a parent of one of the missing children at about 12:30 p.m. Saturday. The parent told authorities one of the cell phones for the children, who are from Middleton, Ohio, had been traced to the area of the 10600 block of West Yorkhouse Road in Beach Park.

Police say Negron left Middleton at about 10:30 p.m. Friday, and drove back to Beach Park in a Ford Mustang. Police found the car, as well as Negron and the three children, at a gas station in the area of Lewis Avenue and Wadsworth Road.

Negron was arrested and taken into custody. The juveniles, who were not injured, were all taken to safety at the Lake County Children’s Advocacy Center, according to police.

"All children have been reunited with their parents," Lake County Sheriff's Office Deputy Chief Christopher Covelli told Patch in an email response.

Authorities said they learned Negron first began chatting with the 12-year-old girl several weeks ago on Fortnite, Snapchat and other social media platforms. He drove to Middleton, Ohio, on Jan. 18 and stayed at a hotel, according to police.

Police believe he interacted with the three juveniles several times during his stay in Middleton before leaving with them on Friday and driving back to Beach Park. One of the children texted their parent a description of the car they were in, which helped sheriff's office deputies search for and locate Negron and the three children, police said Sunday.

Following the incident, police are reminding parents to make sure to regularly check their children's social media applications to keep them safe from predators.

“It is an unfortunate reality, but there are predators among us who prey on children. Many of these predators use social media applications to initially meet a child and build trust with them. After that trust is built, they convince the child to meet," said Lake County Sheriff John D. Idleburg. "It is incredibly important to look at your children’s electronics to see what applications they are using, who they are communicating with, and what they are saying. I am so proud of my staff for working together to quickly locate and rescue these children.”

Authorities say additional charges are possible in the case.