Charged with child solicitation, ex-Libertyville monk trainee mulls plea deal
A new trial date has been set for a former Libertyville Serbian Monastery monk trainee who was charged with indecent solicitation of a minor, but a defense attorney indicated Friday he believes the case will be settled through a plea deal.
Dario Spasic, 22, pleaded not guilty last year to charges of indecent solicitation of a minor under the age of 17, a Class 3 felony that carries a potential prison sentence of two to five years upon conviction, but also may result in probation.
Spasic was arrested and charged in September, after allegedly agreeing on the Internet to meet in person with someone he believed to be a 14-year-old boy, police said. Authorities said he actually had been chatting online with a member of the Lake County Sheriff’s Office Cyber Crimes Unit.
At the time, Spasic was in his fourth and final year of monk training at the Serbian Monastery near Libertyville, authorities said. He is currently living in Ohio after posting 10 percent of a $100,000 bail, and drives to Lake County for his court hearings.
At a hearing Friday, Judge George Bridges asked if the case was going to trial, prompting defense attorney Eric Rinehart to respond, “I don’t think so. It still could.”
After the hearing, Assistant State’s Attorney George Pappas said any plea deal would be contingent on the results of a sex offender evaluation.
Bridges set Spasic’s next court date for May 14 and scheduled a trial date of June 8.
Under terms of his release, Spasic is living with his parents in Ohio and is being monitored by the court’s pretrial services department.
According to sheriff’s police, Spasic used a social networking application to set up a 10 p.m. meeting with the person he thought was a 14-year-old, and was instead met by a sheriff’s office detective.
He allegedly told investigators that he set up the meeting with the boy “to engage in sexual activities,” according to the sheriff’s office.
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