Stateville prison worker accused of solicitation of sexual act from young teen girl

A Stateville Correctional Center employee has been arrested and charged with grooming a female teen and soliciting a sexual act, police said.

About 9 p.m. Oct. 11, Robert Arndt, 45, of Joliet, was taken into custody at Stateville Correctional Center in Crest Hill on charges of grooming and solicitation of a sexual act, Joliet Police Sgt. Dwayne English said.

English said Arndt works as a food services supervisor at Stateville.

The investigation into Arndt began July 30, when the Joliet Police Department was contacted by family members of a 13-year-old girl after they discovered “alleged inappropriate messages of a sexual nature between an adult male and the juvenile on Facebook,” English said.

Detectives initiated an investigation that led to them identifying Arndt as the suspect.

“Detectives learned that the messaging on social media took place over a span of several months and that Arndt was an Illinois Department of Corrections employee,” English said.

A warrant for Arndt’s arrest was obtained Oct. 11, English said.

After Arndt was taken into custody at Stateville, he was sent to the Joliet Police Department for processing and then taken to the Will County jail, English said.

Arndt still remains in jail as of Wednesday afternoon.