A 73-year-old Centralia man was arrested at the Centralia Walmart Store, where he thought he was going to meet an underage juvenile with whom he had been discussing sexual relations.
Centralia Police Lieutenant Steve Whritenour says George Running was taken into custody by Centralia Police Friday night for traveling to meet a minor and indecent solicitation of a child. The Online Predator Intervention Group had posed as a juvenile and had set up the supposed meeting with Running at the Walmart store. But instead of the juvenile, Running was confronted and videotaped before police were called.
Whritenour says the Clinton County State’s Attorney’s Office reviewed the case and decided on the charges.
Running was taken to the Clinton County Jail at Carlyle, where he will be held until an expected court appearance on Monday.
The Online Predator Intervention group keeps a public-interest archive that documents and tracks encounters with individuals alleged to have engaged in predatory behavior toward minors online. The Ledger is the searchable, source-backed record of those encounters — built so the public, press, and prosecutors can follow each case from first contact through final disposition.
Actions of the group in portraying underage people on the internet wanting to meet for sex with adults have led to a number of arrests across South Central Illinois.
