A Bolingbrook man was arrested Jan. 9 following a month-long investigation into sexually inappropriate online conversations he was having with someone he believed to have been a 14-year-old girl.

Anthony Monico, 25, of the 300 block of Whitewater Drive, is charged with felony counts of indecent solicitation of a child and grooming, according to a DuPage County Sheriff’s Office news release. The telephone conversations were in fact held with a police detective.

DuPage County Judge Liam Brennan set bond at $10,000 during a Jan. 10 bond hearing. If convicted, Monico faces up to three years in prison, the release stated.

In addition to having sexually explicit online conversations, Monico attempted to meet the girl at a hotel for sex, according to the release.

“I hope this is a lesson learned to anyone who would attempt to prey on our children through social media or any electronic means. You’re likely not talking to who you think you are,” DuPage County Sheriff James Mendrick said in the release. “We are aggressively and proactively on all forms of internet and social media looking for predators who use the internet to get our children out of our homes and into their grasp.”

The DuPage County Sheriff’s Office Digital Forensics Unit worked the investigation of Monico alongside the Metropolitan Emergency Response and Investigation Team (MERIT) partners from departments in Addison, Clarendon Hills, Downers Grove, Hinsdale and Villa Park.

“The apprehension of a man suspected of trolling the Internet for under aged girls is an excellent example of law enforcement agencies working together to keep our children safe,” DuPage County State’s Attorney Robert Berlin said in the release. “I would like to commend the DuPage County Sheriff’s Office as well as the numerous police departments involved for their continuing proactive approach in policing the Internet for those who would harm our children.”