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42-year-old convicted s*x offender Weston Opas has been accused of grooming a 16-year-old girl and having an intimate relationship with her. The girl was missing until October 26, 2023, when law enforcement officials discovered she was residing at Weston's home in Glenview, Illinois. She allegedly tried to contact authorities but couldn't do it.
Trigger warning: The article contains references to intimate relationships with a minor and child p*rnography. Readers' discretion is advised.
Weston Opas faces multiple charges, including traveling to meet a child, grooming, and being a felon in possession of a firearm with body armor. The Cook County Sheriff's Office has confirmed the same.
Convicted s*x offender Weston Opas allegedly established an inappropriate relationship with a 16-year-old girl on multiple occasions in Boston
Weston Opas was arraigned on Tuesday, October 31, on multiple charges, including traveling to meet a minor, grooming, firearm possession by a felon with body armor, and failure to register as a s*x offender. The arrest took place after authorities received a tip about a missing girl, who was reportedly at Opas' house in the 10300 block of Michael Todd Terrace in Glenview.
Sheriff Tom Dart told CBS News Chicago that Opas went to Boston several times to have s*x with her. He had also allegedly been grooming her regularly. According to law enforcement agencies, the suspect was well aware that the girl was a minor. He allegedly made arrangements to meet with the victim. Sheriff Dart addressed such grooming cases and added,
"They'll start off innocently, and then they slowly build, and they build, and that's literally what happened here."
According to the Cook County Sheriff's Office,
"Detectives learned that Opas made initial contact with the victim last year through an online gaming app and continued his contact via text messaging. During this time, Opas traveled to the Boston area numerous times to meet with the victim and engage in s*xual acts."
Opas is being held without bail
Cops revealed that the victim had been staying with Opas. While searching his place, they also recovered body armor, a gun, and ammunition. Upon digging into Weston Opas' past records, authorities revealed that he was previously convicted of possessing child p*rnography in Florida, back in 2004.
She is currently being placed with social services for the time being. Her relatives in Chicago have been notified, and they'll soon pick her up. Sheriff Dart said,
"We've dealt with these type of cases for many years. Your conventional type of reasoning sort of goes out the window."
Opas was also charged with violating sex offender registration laws after he was spotted near a school. This incident reportedly took place at the beginning of the year in Cook County. Meanwhile, Weston Opas is being held in the Cook County Jail without bail. His next court appearance has been scheduled for November 16, 2023.
The incident took place a few days after a Winter Springs High School teacher was taken into custody for a similar reason. He tried to establish inappropriate contact with an underage girl. The teacher has been identified as Lucas Cridlebaugh.
