Wheaton Man Charged With Indecent Solicitation of Child

A 20-year-old Wheaton man has been arrested for accusations he tried to set up a meeting to have sex with a girl he met over the Internet, police said.

Matthew Knitter, of 303 President in Wheaton, has been charged with indecent solicitation of a child, a Class 3 felony; solicitation to meet a child, a Class 4 felony; and one count grooming, a Class 4 felony. His bond has been set at $200,000.

On July 14, the 14-year-old girl accepted a Facebbok friend request from Knitter, prosecutors said.

Knitter then sent the girl a sexually explicit message and requested to meet the girl for sex. The girl told her father who then contacted police, according to a DuPage County State’s Attorney’s Office press release.

The Wheaton Police Department then assumed control of the girl’s Facebook account and arranged to meet Knitter later that day.

Knitter was arrested at about 6:30 p.m. on July 14 when he allegedly went to meet the victim, according to the news release.

“The allegations against Mr. Knitter are very disturbing,” said DuPage County State’s Attorney Robert Berlin. “Parents should keep in mind that in today’s high-tech world, child sexual predators can get into your home and gain access to your children via the Internet and other types of electronic communication. That is why it is so important that parents teach their children to be careful and alert to suspicious behavior when communicating over the Internet and through texts or emails with people they have not met in person.”

Knitter is next expected in court on Aug. 10.