Deputies in Lake County, Illinois recently arrested a man and charged him with kidnapping and child endangerment offenses after he drove three Ohio minors to Beach Park. The minors included a 15-year-old boy and two girls aged 14 and 12.
Authorities in Illinois Hit Man with Kidnapping and Child Endangerment Charges After He Took Three Minors from Ohio Across State Lines
There are notable gaps in the story yet to be filled in by the suspect—Michael Negron (19)–and the minors. From what the Lake County Sheriff’s Office released; Negro took the three minors from Middleton, Ohio on January 20, 2023 at around 10:30 PM.
The following day at around 12:30 PM, a parent of one of the missing kids contacted the LCSO. They had managed to track their child to Beach Park, Illinois via their phone. Not only that, they had an exact location on West Yorkhouse Road as well as details about the car driven by the kidnapper.
Negron was found at a gas station in Beach Park with the minors. He was arrested and detectives began to find out what happened over the weekend and just what was going on. It appears that Negron had been talking with the 12-year-old girl for a while via Fortnite and social media.
He arrived in Middleton, Ohio on January 18 and checked into a hotel. Authorities said that the 19-year-old was in contact with the minors several times while in Middleton. The details of their communication weren’t revealed and likely holds the key to how this all came together and how two other minors ended up along for the ride.
The minors were unharmed and taken into the Lake County Children’s Advocacy Center before being reunited with their legal guardians. Michael Negron is being held at the Lake County Jail and is scheduled for court on January 29. The hearing is to clarify what charges Negron will face now that there has been time since his arrest.
Depending on what Negron could face and what could be offered, it will be the best opportunity to hear from the suspect what he was planning to do with three minors.
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