A former Naperville man accused of sexually abusing a 13-year-old girl after forcing her to meet him under threat of making photos she sent him public has been convicted by a DuPage County jury.
James Nead, 30, was found guilty of three counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse and one count each of solicitation to meet a child and traveling to meet a child, all felony charges, according to the DuPage County State’s Attorney’s Office.
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Nead met the girl via a message he sent from his Snapchat account in June 2019, and he and the victim exchanged photographs, prosecutors said. He then pressured the girl to meet him by threatening the release the photos she sent him.
She complied, getting into his car in a strip mall parking lot where subsequently sexually abused her, the state’s attorney’s office account said. The victim later blocked Nead from her Snapchat account only to have him contact her again using another account and again tell her she needed to meet him or have her photos publicly released, officials said.
Instead, she notified her family and her father contacted authorities.
“It is my hope that this very disturbing case will serve as a reminder to parents to monitor their children’s internet usage and be aware of whom their children are communicating with on social media,” State’s Attorney Robert Berlin said in a statement. “I commend the young victim in this case for bringing this matter to the attention of adults and for her strength and courage in confronting the man who sexually abused her.”
Nead is being held in the DuPage County jail pending his sentencing, when he could be sent to prison for up to seven years. His next court appearance is scheduled for Aug. 31.