Salem Police have arrested a 51-year-old Salem man on attempted sex abuse and grooming-related charges.
Derek Purcell of Woodland Drive was taken into custody early Saturday morning for a Class 2 felony of attempted aggravated criminal sexual abuse, a Class 4 felony for grooming, and a Class A misdemeanor of contributing to the delinquency of a minor.
Salem Police say the Attempted Aggravated Criminal Sexual Abuse charge is a result of Purcell allegedly taking a substantial step towards committing the offense of Criminal Sexual Abuse against a 14-year-old victim. The offense is aggravated due to Purcell being in a position of supervision over the victim at the time of the offense. The Grooming charge stems from statements of a sexual nature Purcell allegedly made to the victim. He is also accused of providing alcohol to the victim and other juveniles, resulting in the Contributing to the Delinquency of a Minor charge.
Salem Police say the charges are the result of events that took place over multiple dates in July and August of this year in Salem and the surrounding Marion County Area.
No further details will be released at this time due to the age of the victim.
