Morris, Illinois mom says state needs stiffer penalties for child grooming, is working to change law

A mother in southwest suburban Morris, Illinois, is fighting for stiffer penalties for adults charged with grooming children. Some local lawmakers agree, saying Illinois' current law is too weak and puts kids in danger.

Michelle Peterson said her son was just 15 when he started getting sexually explicit text messages from his teacher.

"I overheard a conversation, and that conversation just tipped me off that there was something that was wrong," she said.

She said the strange late night phone call between her son Andrew and his Morris High School teacher and basketball coach led her to check their text messages.

And then saw thousands of messages between the two of them," she recalled. "He offered my son money for lewd and lascivious acts to be performed on him. Had offered and wanted to make a sex video with him, and would refer to his body part as 'my little guy.'"

The teacher was arrested, charged and convicted of grooming in 2013. It was the first grooming conviction of its kind in the United States.

But he was only sentenced to only 30 days in jail, probation and a 10-year stint on the sex offender registry. That never sat right with Peterson.

"So we're trying to amend the current grooming law in Illinois. However, it's been sitting in committee for the last three years, never called for a vote," she said.

There is no sign of the teacher today on the Illinois Sex Offender Registry because his requirement expired in 2023. Peterson is pushing for an amendment to the current law that would make it a lifetime registry requirement.

"It's not that people can't be redeemed. I'm not suggesting that, but it's a good thing to have that be extended because it's a service to the people of Illinois," said State Rep. Jed Davis (R-Yorkville).

Davis is behind the House version of Andrew's Law, which would bar those charged with grooming from being able to plead down to lesser charges.

"You need to be held accountable for the actions committed against minors. I think we kind of forget what we're talking about here, because it's hard to get traction on this bill," he said.

State Sen. Sue Rezin (R-Morris) said she struggles to understand why they've fought for years just to get the bill called.

"It starts with grooming, before it gets to the next level so why are we drawing lines in the sand," she said.

While fighting to enhance penalties in Illinois, Peterson has successfully helped lawmakers in eight other states pass grooming laws. Her goal is to hit all 50, because even though it was too late to keep this from happening to her son, it's not too late to prevent this from happening to other children.

"This has never been about us," she said. "This has been about protecting all children."

Thursday a grooming bill that Peterson was instrumental in was sent to the Tennessee governor's desk for a signature. She said Minnesota is the next state on her list.