Elmhurst police have charged Priyang D. Parikh, 29, of Alexandria, Va., with one count of attempted predatory criminal sexual assault of a child and one count of sexual exploitation of a child after an incident at an Elmhurst banquet hall.
Police would not release the name of the banquet hall.
During a wedding reception Sept. 5, Parikh allegedly approached several children in the lobby, offered them candy and asked them to line up, Deputy Police Chief Dan Buenz said Sept. 14.
"They thought they were getting lollipops," he said.
He allegedly took a 7-year-old girl into another room and exposed himself. There was no physical contact, Buenz said.
A 7-year-old boy witnessed the incident, and he and the girl reported what happened to parents, Buenz said.
Parikh was not a guest of the wedding party.
"He was in town for another party," Buenz said.
Police contacted Parikh in Virginia, and he returned to Illinois on a request for an interview, Buenz said.
Parikh was scheduled to come to the police station Sept. 10 for the interview "but he got cold feet, so we had to go track him down," Buenz said.
They found him in about 17 miles away, in Morton Grove, with the cooperation of Morton Grove police.
He was taken to DuPage County Jail, and bond was set at $400,000. Parikh was released Sept. 13 after posting bond.
"There's always a concern if it's extraditable (if Parikh were to jump bail), but with something like this, I'm sure we'd have cooperation," Buenz said.
Officials in Virginia also are investigating Parikh.
"Obviously there's a concern when something like this happens that there (may be) something going on there," Buenz said. "We alerted Virginia and they're looking into any matters that might be present in their jurisdiction.
Attempted criminal sexual assault of a child is a Class 1 felony. If convicted, Parikh could face four to 15 years in prison and up to a $25,000 fine.
Elmhurst police began their investigation Sept. 5 at the wedding reception. Guests were very cooperative, looking at pictures and answering questions, Buenz said.
"They were very good about us interrupting their wedding party," he said. "That's not the kind of story you want to tell after your wedding."
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