Coal City man charged with child solicitation in Wilmington

A sting operation by a vigilante group and an investigation by the Wilmington Police Department has led a solicitation to meet a child charge against a Coal City man.

At close to 1 a.m. Saturday, Kyle McCue, 37, was taken to jail on felony charges traveling to meet a child and solicitation to meet a child. The charges were filed after Wilmington police were informed of a sting operation by a vigilante group called PredatorProof.

The group has a Facebook page where they say their mission is to “catch and expose child predators.”

On Friday, police learned a member of PredatorProof had been communicating with McCue while posing as a 14-year-old girl, according to a petition to deny McCue’s pretrial release from Assistant State’s Attorney Steven Platek.

Police reviewed McCue’s communications and discovered he allegedly told the person he thought was a 14-year-old girl was “too young” but asked for her address multiple times and to engage in a sexual act, Platek’s petition alleged.

“They were to meet at the theater in Wilmington but that changed to the McDonald’s,” Platek’s petition alleged.

After Wilmington police were informed of the incident, they conducted a traffic stop that led to McCue’s arrest, Platek’s petition alleged.

Will County Judge Raymond McSteen ordered McCue to remain in jail after finding his pretrial release posed a danger to the community, court records show.