A Mundelein man was charged with felony indecent solicitation of a child and attempted aggravated criminal sexual assault Nov. 5, according to Elmhurst police.
The charges came after Wayne Kagebein, 51, of Mundelein, met police at an undisclosed Elmhurst location under the belief that he was meeting a 15-year-old girl to have sex.
Kagebein previously served as a volunteer baseball and basketball coach in 2007 and 2008 for Vernon Hills Park District, a spokeswoman for the district confirmed. The spokeswoman said Kagebein passed a background check before his work with the Park District.
According to Detective Cmdr. Dan Buenz, the meeting with Kagebein was set up by police after a month of online chats.
“He agreed to meet with somebody he believed, of course, to be underage and we took him under custody,” Buenz said. “He very solidly confirmed he was meeting who he thought he was and what they were meeting about.”
Despite using undercover techniques popularized on the NBC TV feature “To Catch a Predator,” Buenz said the department’s operation was different.
“I don’t want to say this was a Chris Hansen kind of thing,” he said.
Buenz said Elmhurst police regularly conduct investigations into potential predators through online chatrooms. He said there are several indicators, including a suspect’s use of “grooming questions,” such as whether a parent has access to the computer used to chat.
“There are people out there with a strong enough urge or need to satisfy those urges. ... They sometimes mention they’re always afraid of police but that urge or desire is so strong they’re willing to take that chance,” Buenz said.
Buenz said both charges are serious felonies, but sentencing depends on numerous factors heading into trial.
Kagebein was being held in DuPage County Jail as of press time, awaiting an indictment from the DuPage county state’s attorney.
