An Illinois man was arrested Saturday after allegedly driving to Wisconsin to meet a 13-year-old girl he met on social media in order to take her home and sexually assault her, authorities confirmed.
The Lake County Sheriff’s Office said George Soriano, 25, faces two counts of aggravated criminal sexual assault and another count of traveling to meet a minor.
Officers reportedly responded to a residence in Antioch around 3:15 a.m. Saturday after a person called 911 to report that the girl and a friend were picked up by Soriano at her home in Wisconsin.
After picking up the two girls, the suspect took them home and allegedly sexually assaulted one of them, Fox News reported.
Both victims were rescued by the agents, who transferred them to an area hospital for evaluation.
The sheriff’s office said further investigation determined Soriano met the girls on social media, and on Saturday he reached out to them on social media and made plans to look for them.
The office statement specified that the girls indicated that they feared for their lives, since Soriano was armed.
Since his arrest, Soriano has remained in the Lake County Jail, and awaits a court hearing this Sunday.
Meanwhile, police said the suspect may have met with at least one of the girls before Saturday’s incident.
Authorities added that a search of Soriano’s home revealed that he ran a cannabis cultivation operation.