Man Pleads Guilty to Sex Chatting a Supposed Teen

By Ben Feldheim

An Orland Park man was sentenced to two years in prison after pleading guilty to sending sexual chats and naked images of himself through the Internet to an undercover police officer posing as a teen girl.

Kevin Skartika, 36, declined to speak before Judge John Hynes sentenced him Monday morning at the Bridgeview Courthouse. Skartika pleaded guilty to one count of distributing harmful materials, and was sentenced to two years in prison, one year of probation and $709 in fines.

Skaritka is also facing unrelated multiple charges of sexual assault, after he was accused of molesting a girl in Orland Park and in Palos Hills. His attorneys have maintained his innocence in the case and told the court he waspunched in at work during times where he was accused of the assaults.

While out on electronic home monitoring for the sex assault charges, Skaritka found himself back in court in Aug. 2012 on new charges related to sexual Internet chatting with a supposed minor.

On Monday, Cook County Assistant State’s Attorney John Henning detailed what he said would’ve been proven if Skaritka’s case went to trial. He said between Oct. 2011 and June 2012, Skartika used Yahoo Instant Messenger to contact who he thought was a 14-year-old girl in St. Louis, but it was an undercover St. Louis police sergeant.  

Henning said Skaritka sent full frontal nude photos of himself to the false screen name, and asked for nude pictures in return. Henning said he also started a video chat where he exposed his whole body.

Defense attorney Aaron Rosenblatt said that Henning’s descriptions were just the state’s evidence.

Skaritka has no prior criminal history, excluding the pending sexual assault charges. He received credit in his sentence for 396 days he already spent in the Cook County Jail.

Skaritka’s next hearing for sexual assault charges is scheduled for Oct. 29.