Seminary student seeks to leave state before child solicitation trial

A seminary student accused of indecent solicitation of a child wants to return to his Ohio hometown while he awaits trial.

Dario Spasic, a student at St. Sava School of Theology in Libertyville at the time of his arrest last week, was bailed out of jail on Tuesday and appeared in a Lake County courtroom this afternoon, where his public defender made the request for him to be able to leave the county.

Spasic, 22, was arrested Friday after authorities alleged that he sought to meet and have sexual contact with someone he believed to be a 14-year-old boy. The person Spasic is accused of arranging to meet through a social networking app was actually a member of the county sheriff’s cybercrimes unit who was posing as a boy, officials said.

Spasic, who is originally from Bosnia, requested through an attorney that he be allowed to return to Cincinnati to stay with his parents until he goes to trial.

Prosecutors objected, noting it’s difficult enough to monitor the actions of defendants when they’re in state. Spasic, who put up $10,000 bail to win his release from jail, is prohibited from using a computer or smart phone or taking drugs or alcohol while he awaits trial.

Judge Christen Bishop noted that being in his parents’ home might provide more oversight than he would receive at the motel he’s been staying in since his release from custody. She is due to rule on the request Thursday.

Spasic was living in a dorm at the St. Sava campus at the time of his arrest, officials said. His status as a student there was not clear. A school official did not immediately return a call seeking comment.