Dad Charged with Child Abduction

A Romeoville man faces child abduction charges after violating a custody agreement and concealing his teenage daughter’s whereabouts, police said.

Marc A. Jones, 36, of the 800 block of Ontario, was arrested early Thursday and booked into the Will County Adult Detention Facility.

Assistant Chief Steve Lucchesi said a woman contacted police around 8:50 p.m. Wednesday to report her 15-year-old daughter as a runaway.

“She believed [the 15-year-old] was staying with her ex-husband, who is the child’s father,” Lucchesi said.

Police went to Jones’ Romeoville residence, where it appeared that no one was home. But hours later, the teen and her father showed up at the police station, Lucchesi said.

At first the pair gave conflicting stories but eventually admitted that the teen had been at the father’s home the entire time, according to police.

“They both agreed he had picked her up at a basketball practice in the morning and she had been there all day,” Lucchesi said.

The Will County State’s Attorney’s Office approved felony child abduction charges against Jones on Thursday.

Under Illinois law, “detaining or concealing a child when there’s a custody agreement falls under the child abduction statute,” Lucchesi said.

Jones was scheduled to appear in court Thursday afternoon. He was being held at the Will County Adult Detention Center pending a bond hearing.