Danville Police Impersonator

Danville police say a local man pretended he was an officer of the law in order to lure a teenager to meet him for sex. 31-year-old Michael Eads was arraigned Monday on charges of criminal sexual assault and aggravated false impersonation of a police officer. Eads pleaded not guilty to the charges. If convicted, he could face up to 15 years in prison. Vermilion County States Attorney, Frank Young says these are serious charges and an example of the upswing in internet crimes. "Anytime you can make contact with somebody over the internet, it gives an opportunity to commit a crime," said Young. "So were seeing a lot more over the internet." Police say online predators are a real problem on the internet, and just one of many crimes waiting for unsuspecting surfers. Danville Police Deputy Director, Doug Miller said, "theres been all kinds of different crimes committed over the internet. Since the inception of the internet, theres been financial identity fraud, sex crimes, a multitude of different crimes." Young says while internet crimes are common, impersonating an officer is not. "We dont see a lot of aggravated false impersonation of a police officer but we do see crimes related to the internet, yes, but this specific crime, no," added Young. Miller said its an officers job to uphold the law and people should be aware a real police officer would never engage in these types of activities. He says people need to protect themselves when it comes to surfing the web. His biggest tips: Never give out personal information over the web if you are at all unsure, and never agree to meet someone in person because predators are everywhere. Eads will be back in court on April 5th for his preliminary hearing.