Morris police charge Yorkville man with traveling to meet a minor

MORRIS – A Yorkville man was arrested Monday at the Morris Walmart on a charge of traveling to meet a minor, the Morris Police Department said in a Facebook post.

Ethan Kotlinski, 23, of Yorkville is being held at the Grundy County Jail on a Class 3 felony charge of traveling to meet a minor, according to the post.

At 5:26 p.m. Monday, Morris police were called to the Walmart located at 333 Route 6 in Morris after an anonymous caller reported a disturbance, according to the post. The caller reported that a man, later identified as Kotlinski, “was on the ground and 20 people were gathered around him, videotaping him,” police said.

After arriving, police were told that an adult man from Morris had posed online as a 12-year-old girl and reportedly had conversations with the suspect online for several months, according to the post. The conversations allegedly led to “an agreement to meet for sexual purposes,” police said.

The case still is under investigation, as additional documentation will be needed regarding the technical aspects of this case, police said.

“We are asking that parents please take note of how easy it is for predators to locate and build relationships with children online,” Morris police said in the post. “Please monitor your child’s online activity. If you go to Google and search ‘monitor my children’s online activity’ or ‘monitor my children’s phone activity,’ there are countless resources and suggestions available.”