St. Louis man charged with having sexual relationship with girl in Illinois, police say
A 27-year-old St. Louis man came to St. Clair County in order to have a sexual relationship with a girl who is younger than 16 years old, the St. Clair County Sheriff’s Office said.
Joseph L. Hughes had his bond set at $100,000 after he was charged with four counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse, one count of sexual exploitation of a minor, and one count of traveling across state lines to meet a minor.
Hughes engaged in conversations with the girl over the internet and eventually came from St. Louis to meet the girl in an unincorporated area of St. Clair County near Belleville, and engaged in sexual acts, the sheriff’s office said.
St. Clair County Sheriff Rick Watson said in a news release that child sexual exploitation is a growing crime as there are multiple ways for children and juveniles to meet people on the internet.
“I know it can be difficult, but parents need to be vigilant in knowing who their children are communicating with on the web,” Watson said. “Parents are the first line of defense to prevent victimization, these predators are expert manipulators, and parents need to talk to their children about these kinds of situations.”
This story was originally published March 23, 2019 at 12:38 PM.
