DANVILLE, Ill. (WICS) — A child predator was arrested and sentenced to nine years of prison. The Danville Police and two citizen groups that are dedicated to catching child sexual predators worked together to catch him.
On April 3, 2025, Jeffrey Schlunaker, 58, formerly of Danville, Illinois, pleaded guilty and was sentenced to nine years in the Illinois Department of Corrections for the offense of Indecent Solicitation, a class 1 felony. Following his term of imprisonment, Schlunaker will serve one-year mandatory supervised release.
On December 14, 2024, the Danville Police were dispatched to the scene of a citizen’s arrest. Upon arrival, officers found the defendant in the custody of members of two citizen groups whose stated purposes were to reduce the number of child sexual predators.
In this case, group members engaged in an online chat with Jeffrey Schlunaker, who explicitly described how he wanted to engage in sexual intercourse with a child whom he knew to be 11 to 12 years of age.
After making arrangements and telling the undercover citizen that he did not want to get caught having sex with a 12-year-old, Schlunaker made his way to the pre-arranged meeting spot. He was assured that the child’s mother would not be home. Schlunaker arrived and approached the actress posing as a child.
The group members approached Schlunaker and he was interviewed on camera before being restrained to wait for police to arrive. Schlunaker confessed his intentions to engage in sexual intercourse with a child.
State’s Attorney Lacy thanked the Danville Police Department. She added, “Those who exploit and prey on children will be held accountable. My office is committed to protecting the most vulnerable members of our community.”
