Police: Lakewood man sent nude photos to minor he met online

Tyler J. Whitfield. Photo from Crystal Lake police.

(WOODSTOCK) A northwest suburban man was arrested Monday for sending nude photos to a minor he met online, according to police.

Tyler J. Whitfield, 24, of Lakewood, is charged with one felony count of grooming and one misdemeanor count of sexual exploitation of a child, Crystal Lake police said in a statement.

Authorities started investigating after a Crystal Lake school resource officer learned about an online relationship between Whitfield and a minor who lives in Crystal Lake, police said.

The minor met Whitfield through Facebook and other social media sites in June 2014, and they had been communicating ever since, police said.

Authorities claim the conversations became sexual in nature, and the minor tried to stop them, but Whitfield ultimately sent images of himself nude and engaging in sexual acts, the statement said.

Whitfield was arrested without incident Monday at his Lakewood home, police said. His smartphone and laptop computer were seized.

He was released after posting 10 percent of a $10,000 bond and will next appear in court in Woodstock on Dec. 2, police said.