Victim Sues Joliet Child Sex Predator, Plus Manhattan Couple

JOLIET, IL - Charles Wesolowski is classified on the Illinois Sex Offender registry as a sexual predator. He lives at 1105 Colonial Drive in Joliet. He was convicted in 2016 at the Will County Courthouse of aggravated criminal sexual abuse against a victim between ages 13 to 16. Recently, Wesolowski's victim filed a civil lawsuit in Will County seeking monetary damages against her rapist as well as a Manhattan couple, Matthew Meents and Marie Meents. They are named as codefendants in her civil lawsuit.

When Wesolowski was 41, he began sexual abusing the girl at his house in Joliet, inside his vehicle and at the home of codefendants Matthew and Marie Meents, in the 200 block of East North in Manhattan, the lawsuit states. "... the aforesaid acts were committed for the sexual gratification of the defendant, Charles Wesolowski," the suit states. The Joliet man was charged with aggravated sexual abuse in November 2014 and he pleaded guilty on March 8, 2016, the lawsuit notes.

The suit accuses Wesolowski, now 45, of committing sexual abuse of a minor as well as battery and causing her intentional infliction of emotional distress. Wesolowski's victim "was caused to spend additional money as a result of said occurrences, and that Defendant's conduct as alleged above was intentional, willful and wanton and the court should award Plaintiff punitive damages," the lawsuit states.

As for the codefendants, the civil lawsuit states that the plaintiff was an invitee and guest at the home of Matthew Meents in Manhattan on several instances between Nov. 11, 2013 and May 30, 2014. "That Matthew Meents permitted Charles Wesolowski to be alone with the then-minor plaintiff inside of the Meents home where the aforesaid sexual abuse and battery occurred," the lawsuit states.

Furthermore, Wesolowski and Matthew Meents "are long-term close friends" and "that Matthew Meents knew or should ... have known of defendant Wesolowski's dangerous and exploitative propensities as a child sexual abuser. That despite that knowledge, Matthew Meents failed to supervise his invitee, Wesolowski, thus permitting Wesolowski to sexually abuse and batter the plaintiff," states the lawsuit filed by attorney Luke Antonsen of the Joliet law firm of Hamilton & Antonsen.

According to Will County's criminal court files, Wesolowski was sentenced in March 2016 to 180 days in jail, given credit for three days served and put on court probation for two years. He was represented by the Joliet criminal defense law firm, Tomczak Law Group.

Mugshot of Charles Wesolowski via Illinois State Police sex offender registry database