Oak Lawn Man Accused Of Sexting, Sending Porn To Indiana Teen

ST. JOHN, IN — An Oak Lawn man is accused of sending sexually explicit texts and messages to an Indiana teen, according to court documents. Kenneth Felton, 37, is facing felony charges of child solicitation, vicarious sexual gratification, and dissemination of material harmful to a minor.

St. John, Indiana, police spoke to the parents of the 15-year-old girl on Nov. 24, 2019, in response to a phone harassment complaint. The teen's father told police that he found out his daughter had been having an inappropriate relationship with the 37-year-old man earlier in the month, according to court documents. Felton was a friend of the girl's uncle, police said, and her father had heard him make comments to his daughter that he considered "flirty" and "inappropriate."

Other people had also told the teen's father that Felton made inappropriate comments about his daughter, police said.

In January, police conducted a forensic interview with the teen. Police said Felton and the teen began corresponding through Facebook Messenger in July 2018 when she was 14. According to court documents, the two first talked about cars, and then the conversations took a sexual turn last October.

Through November 2019, Felton sent the girl sexually explicit messages, pornographic images, videos and images of genitals, police said. A forensic review of the girl's cell phone included the messages, photos and videos sent to her by Felton, court documents said.

Police said it appeared that Felton knew his sexual texts with the girl were illegal from such statements as "please don't leave it on your phone," "I just don't want any consequences" and "clear it all."

Felton owns a professional landscaping company in Oak Lawn, according to Illinois Secretary of State records.

Charges were filed against Felton on Feb. 4. St. John police said Felton turned himself in the next day and posted a $7,000 bond. He has a court hearing on Feb. 21 in Crown Point, Indiana.