Registered sex offender faces new charges: Investigators say they met on MySpace

DIXON – A 19-year-old registered sex offender is back in prison, charged with having sex with a 12-year-old girl police say he met on the Internet late last year.

Matthew R. Tabor, 1280 Elm St., Eldena, is charged with four counts of predatory criminal sexual assault of a child, punishable by 6 to 30 years in prison.

His preliminary hearing is Feb. 24.

Tabor was paroled in September after serving several months in boot camp in an Ogle County case. On Jan. 8, his parole officer received information that Tabor was contacting girls through a MySpace page, Lee County Sheriff John Varga said.

State law prohibits sex offenders from maintaining a page on any social networking site.

The parole officer contacted the sheriff’s department. During the course of the investigation, detectives learned that Tabor had been texting and messaging the girl, Varga said.

According to court documents, Tabor had sex with her in November and December.

Tabor also communicated with two other girls through MySpace and tried to get them to meet him, Varga said.

The girls ignored him and told investigators that they did not have any physical contact with him, Varga said.

Tabor was arrested Jan. 20; he is being held for violating the terms of his parole, pending the outcome of this case.

In April, Tabor pleaded guilty to aggravated battery with a controlled substance for giving a 14-year-old Ogle County girl alcohol.

As part of a plea agreement, he pleaded guilty to sexual abuse, a misdemeanor, was given 24 months’ probation and ordered to register as a sex offender.