Aurora man charged with sending sexual texts to teenage girl

A 51-year-old west suburban man has been charged with sending sexually explicit texts to a 15-year-old girl.

Hugo F. Cruz, of the 800 block of Front Street in Aurora, is charged with felony counts of grooming and indecent solicitation of a child, according to Aurora police. He was also charged with misdemeanor counts of sexual exploitation of a child and distributing harmful material to a minor.

Between Dec. 25, 2015, and Jan. 3, Cruz sent the girl multiple explicit texts and at least one photo, a statement from police said. The messages were sent in an attempt to get the girl to perform sexual acts.

The victim “pleaded” for Cruz to stop, police said. He was acquainted with her and knew she was a minor.

Cruz is being held on a $20,000 bond at the Kane County Correctional Center in St. Charles.