Man accused of grooming, traveling to meet minor in Springfield

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WAND) — A Wheeling man was arrested in Springfield Saturday on charges of grooming and traveling to meet a minor.

Officers were called to the White Oaks Mall for a patrol investigation after being informed that someone was posing as a 16-year-old girl, to try and catch the predator.

According to the Springfield Police Department, Brian A. Levanti, 43 had been messaging with who he believed to be a underage girl for over a week.

The person posing as the 16-year-old told police he had been speaking to Levanti since June 10 via Snapchat, saying that Levanti messaged his fake account first and started planning to meet in person.

The individual said that Levanti told him that he wanted to "kiss" and "cuddle," even planning to buy a hotel room for the two of them for the weekend. The man also provided a binder with photo copies of their exchanged messages.