EAST ALTON - A man from East Alton has been charged with grooming and indecent solicitation of two children after allegedly sending them sexually explicit messages through TikTok.
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Dakota R. Weaver, 28, of East Alton, was charged with two counts each of grooming and indecent solicitation of a child. Court documents indicate he groomed and solicited two different minors using TikTok - one from Jan. 29, 2024 to Feb. 9, 2024, and the other from Feb. 6, 2024 to Feb. 12, 2024.
According to a petition to deny Weaver’s pretrial release, the Bethalto Police Department received a report on indecent solicitation of a child and grooming on Feb. 9, 2024. The first victim reported the following:
“An unknown male on TikTok known to her as ‘Eric’ made sexual comments including discussing sex with her. [The victim] advised she was first contacted by [Weaver] on TikTok on Jan. 29, 2024 and the conversations continued and became more sexual in nature, specifically discussing sexual intercourse.
“The TikTok user profile picture and phone number used to contact [the victim] were determined, through the investigation, to belong to the defendant. [The victim] asked the defendant if he knew how old she was and he responded, ‘15-16?’ [She] responded, ‘Yes.’
The petition added that the Bethalto Police Department received a second report of the same offenses on Feb. 12, 2024. This report was submitted by the other victim, who reported she was sent “messages of a sexual nature on [TikTok] specifically referencing oral sex.” Weaver reportedly asked how old she was, to which she responded 15.
Weaver faces two Class 3 felonies for indecent solicitation of a child and two Class 4 felonies for grooming. The Bethalto Police Department presented the case against Weaver, who was reportedly remanded to jail until his initial court appearance.
The issuance of charges is based solely upon probable cause and is not an indication of guilt. All subjects charged with criminal offenses are considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
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