A California man was arrested after traveling to meet with a minor in Sangamon County. 24 year old Matthew M. Rodriguez of Sylmar, California was arrested on charges of transportation of minors, enticement of a minor, and transfer of obscene material to a minor.
Authorities say in September of 2022, the Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office was notified of an adult male communicating with a Sangamon County-area minor child using an online platform. The adult male distributed the minor’s nude images on social media and it was reported that he had traveled from out of state to meet with the minor for sexual acts.
After gathering evidence, Rodriguez was arrested on April 3rd around 6:17 PM at a residence in Springfield. Evidence shows he traveled from California to Sangamon County to meet with the minor. The Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office turned the case over to Homeland Security, due to the federal offense of crossing state lines to meet a minor.
The Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office thanked Sangamon County Child Advocacy Center, Homeland Security Investigations, the US Attorney’s Office-Central District of Illinois for assistance.
