A 41-year-old registered sex offender is facing a felony charge after Park Forest police say he approached a child at a school bus stop and made sexually inappropriate comments about his genitals. Immanuel Miles was taken into custody after investigators identified him within 48 hours of the incident, which happened around 7:30 a.m. on September 11 near the 300 block of Miami Street.
According to FOX 32 Chicago, Miles approached a juvenile at the bus stop and made the remarks before the incident was reported to Park Forest police. Officers say they were able to identify him within two days, and he was subsequently taken into custody and charged with violating the Illinois Sex Offender Registration Act.
Park Forest-Chicago Heights School District 163 Superintendent Ericka Patterson notified families about the incident in a letter, specifying that it occurred at the intersection of Shabbona Street and Miami Street in Park Forest, per FOX 32 Chicago's reporting. Patterson's letter reassured families that the student involved is safe, and the district reinforced safety reminders with all students in the wake of the incident.
What Families Were Told to Do
District 163 families were advised to tell their children to avoid unfamiliar individuals, move to a safe location if approached by a stranger, and tell a trusted adult about the encounter. Families were also told to call 911 immediately if their child faces any immediate threat. Patterson's letter emphasized that student safety remains a top priority for the six-school district, which serves roughly 1,500 students in pre-kindergarten through eighth grade across Park Forest and Chicago Heights, according to Wikipedia.
Patterson took over as District 163 superintendent in May 2025 after previously serving as the district's associate superintendent, per the district's own records.
A Prior Arrest Involving Children
This is not the first time Miles has faced allegations involving children in Park Forest. In January 2024, he was arrested on two counts of public indecency after he allegedly exposed himself to children inside a pharmacy on South Orchard Drive and masturbated in front of them inside a vehicle, according to eNews Park Forest. At the time of that arrest, police records listed his residence at 163 Blackhawk Drive, the outlet reported.
Illinois law places strict limits on where child sex offenders can be. Under 720 ILCS 5/11-9.3, offenders are prohibited from knowingly being within 100 feet of a marked school bus stop when children under 18 are present, and from loitering within 500 feet of a school when children are present, according to Combs Waterkotte.
What Miles Could Face in Court
The charge Miles is currently facing, a violation of the Illinois Sex Offender Registration Act, is a Class 4 felony.
The arrest lands amid a string of recent public safety concerns in the Park Forest-Chicago Heights area. Earlier this month, federal and local authorities arrested a former Chicago Heights police officer on child sex abuse material charges following a CyberTip investigation, as Hoodline reported. In July, a 32-year-old Park Forest resident was found fatally shot in neighboring Chicago Heights, a case Hoodline also covered in a report on the shooting.
