Romeoville Man Tried To Meet 12-Year-Old For Sex: Sheriff

ROMEOVILLE, IL — A 31-year-old Romeoville man faces felony charges after allegedly trying to groom a child for sex, according to the Will County Sheriff's Office. Tomasz Potkaj was arrested May 26 after arranging a meeting with an undercover detective he believed was a 12-year-old, sheriff's office spokeswoman Kathy Hoffmeyer said. Potkaj is charged with traveling to meet a minor child for sex and grooming a child, according to police.

Hoffmeyer said detectives investigating child predators online struck up a conversation with Potkaj on Friday. Believing he was talking to a child, the 31-year-old set up a meeting with a detective in a Joliet Township parking lot, according to police.

"He believed that he was going to have sex with a minor child," Hoffmeyer said. She said Potkaj was brought in for questioning and "made statements implicating himself." Police said Potkaj was carrying condoms in anticipation of meeting up with the child. (Get Patch real-time email alerts for the latest news for Romeoville— or your town.)

Potkaj, who did not immediately respond to a message from Patch on Tuesday, bonded out Saturday after posting 10 percent of his $100,000 bond, according to jail records.

Jail records list a Raleigh Trail address for Potkaj, while court records state he lives on Ontario Drive. Court records did not list an attorney for Potkaj on Tuesday.

Photo: Tomasz Potkaj/Will County Sheriff's Office