A negotiated plea offer is under consideration in the case of an 18-year-old Fox Lake man facing indecent solicitation charges for allegedly attempting to meet a 9-year-old girl.
Devan Bald, 18, is scheduled for a hearing March 19 in which he and defense attorneys may indicate whether the case will be resolved through the plea deal.
On Monday, Assistant Lake County State’s Attorney Mary Stanton confirmed that the state sent a sentencing offer to Bald, and that he and his defense attorneys are studying the proposal. He is currently scheduled for trial April 6.
Bald is charged with four counts of indecent solicitation of a child, a Class 1 felony that carries a sentencing range from probation to four to 15 years in prison, upon conviction.
He pleaded not guilty in August.
According to Stanton, Bald had contact with the girl on Facebook and then through text messages, and the two discussed a meeting in the spring. Stanton said the girl’s parents discovered the electronic communications and reported the situation to authorities.
Stanton said Bald tried to arrange a meeting with the girl after her last day of fourth grade last year.
Bald is free from custody after posting 10 percent of $200,000 bail.
Conditions of Bald’s bond include no use of the Internet unless authorized by the court.
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