A Will County judge allowed the jail release of a witness against a Lockport man charged with indecent solicitation of a child after his attorney said his absence from court was an “honest mistake.”

Shane Divis, 24, spent last weekend in jail after he failed to appear in court on April 29 in the case against John Paul Resedean, 44, of Lockport. Divis was released on Monday.

Resedean faces felony charges of traveling to meet a child, grooming, indecent solicitation of a child, solicitation of a child.

Divis was the leader of a now-defunct group that conducted online sting operations in the early 2020s that were similar to NBC Dateline program “To Catch a Predator.”

Divis has been a key witness in at least seven cases filed in Will and Grundy counties, court records show. Five of those cases have led to convictions while two others remain pending in court.

The case against Resedean was investigated by the Shorewood Police Department. Prosecutors alleged Resedean arranged to meet a girl in 2021 at Lover’s Lane in Shorewood.

Divis had been under subpoena to appear in past court dates. But Judge Art Smigielski issued a warrant for Divis’ arrest when he did not show up to court.

Joel Murphy, Divis’ attorney, told Smigielski on Monday that his client’s absence was not a “willful” failure to appear to in court. He said Divis had been on the cusp of receiving communication from the Will County State’s Attorney’s Office and he runs a busy pest removal business.

“It was an honest mistake,” Murphy said.

Smigielski released Divis from jail on a $10,000 personal recognizance bond that is returnable on July 7. On that day, Resedean’s case is set for another pretrial motion hearing and a potential bench trial.

Smigielski told Divis if he does not appear on that day, he can hold him in contempt in court.

Out of the seven cases listing Divis as a witness, Resedean’s case may be the only one that ends up going to trial.

In Will County, Divis was a witness against Jeremy Hylka, 49, of Joliet, Jacob Schendel, 28, of Rockdale and Joshua Radestki, 50, formerly of Lake Zurich, court records show.

Hylka pleaded guilty to indecent solicitation of a child and grooming. Schendel pleaded guilty to traveling to meet a minor and Radetski pleaded guilty to indecent solicitation of a child.

In Grundy County, Divis was a witness against Jimmie Dean Presley, 64, of Amargosa Valley, Nevada, Dillon Harris, 25, of Coal City, and Bruce Corrigan, 66, of Edgewater, Florida, court records show.

Presley pleaded guilty to unlawful grooming and Harris pleaded guilty to solicitation to meet a child.

The case against Corrigan remains pending after he failed to appear in court. The last docket entry in his case was on Sept. 26, 2022.