Motorist Pleads Guilty To Disorderly Conduct After Offering Lift To Teen Girls
BARRINGTON, Ill. (CBS) – The adult motorist who got in trouble for offering a lift to two teen girls earlier this month – an incident he claims was a "good deed gone wrong" -- has pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct, authorities said Monday.
Rodney T. Peterson of Arlington Heights was sentenced to two years' supervision, ordered to pay a $400 fine and prohibited from contacting the two girls or their families, Barrington police said in a news release.
Police say Peterson followed the girls, who are both 13, on March 2 after he saw them at a Barrington gas station and asked them how far they had to walk and if they wanted a ride. The pair waved him on and took down his license plate number.
"This is a good deed gone wrong," Peterson said. "I just noticed these girls, that they had no umbrella, no coats or hood or something of that nature, and I just felt like I should help."
Police dispute his account, saying it wasn't snowing and the girls were "dressed properly" and wearing coats. Police told CBS 2 the girls felt threatened by the encounter.
"The most important message here is that the students acted properly and smartly. They turned down
the ride offer and copied down the license plate information of the stranger offering them a ride," the Barrington news release said.
Police say adults should not offer rides to juveniles they do not know. If they feel a young person is in distress or danger, they should call police.
