A DeKalb man was jailed and denied release this week after being accused of sexually abusing a minor in a Walmart bathroom in December 2024, according to DeKalb County court records.

Jakarre M. Brown, 31, has been charged with one count of aggravated criminal sexual abuse of a minor, a Class 2 felony, according to DeKalb County Court records. He’s also charged with attempted aggravated sexual abuse of a minor. If convicted, he could face up to seven years in prison, 14 if given an extended term, up to $25,000 in fines and be required to register as a sex offender.

DeKalb police said they were tipped off by Sycamore police after a minor told authorities a man claiming to be a Walmart security guard approached her while at Walmart in DeKalb. The minor alleged that the man asked if she was single before accusing her and another minor of stealing alcohol. He then brought the girl into a bathroom, records filed in court Dec. 9 allege.

The minor told police the man grabbed her by her hand and led her into a family bathroom at the back of the store. The minor told police that once inside the bathroom, the man sexually abused her until a friend knocked on the door, according to court filings.

DeKalb police, who filed the synopsis in court, believe Brown is the man described by the minor. The minor he is accused of sexually abusing, as well as the minor’s friend, identified Brown as the assailant in a photo lineup, according to the synopsis.

In a pretrial release hearing Wednesday, Brown’s public defender argued that it wasn’t clear when the photo lineup was conducted, however.

Brown told police he doesn’t drink alcohol, but also told police he was in the bathroom to purchase tequila shooters from the minor, court records show.

DeKalb County Associate Judge Stephanie Klein denied Brown pretrial release on Wednesday. She said she had questions about why someone over 21 would be in a bathroom to purchase alcohol. That “does not make much sense to this Court,” Klein said.

Police said that Brown has a history of allegations involving minors. DeKalb police wrote in court filings that they had met with Brown “based on prior events involving similar circumstances.”

Brown was charged in June with grooming a minor for sexual conduct in connection to a Sept. 21, 2024, incident at the same Walmart, 2300 Sycamore Road, according to court records.

That day, DeKalb police responded to a report of suspicious activity at Walmart. A minor told police a man claiming to be a Walmart manager and a secret shopper told her she could get a job at the store if she performed a sexual act on him, court records show.

When the minor told the man her age, the man “stated he did not mind,” police wrote. That interaction ended when a store manager walked by. Camera footage from Walmart corroborated the minor’s report, but police initially were unable to identify the man at the time, according to court records. But on June 13, 2025, a DeKalb police detective positively identified Brown in the footage. That same day, the minor also identified Brown in a photo lineup, records show.

Brown also was charged with obstructing identification because police alleged he first provided a different name and birth date to a detective. At the time of his June 13 arrest, Brown had two active warrants for his arrest out of McLean County, court records show.

State’s Attorney Riley Onken and Public Defender Chip Chriswell declined to comment for this story. Walmart did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Brown’s next hearing is scheduled for 9 a.m. on Dec. 29, in front of Judge Philip Montgomery.