Racine man charged, allegedly told children to get in his van
John Back
RACINE, Wis. - A 51-year-old Racine man has been charged with one count of stalking and one count of disorderly conduct for incidents in which, on one occasion, he allegedly told a group of children to get in his van.
According to a criminal complaint, police were dispatched to a Racine residence on Aug. 11 for reported child enticement.
There, an officer spoke with the parents of four children -- ages 1 to 7. The parents told police that the children while playing in the front yard as they watched.
The complaint states that the parents watched a dark-colored van slowly approach their residence, slowing as it passed. The van then entered a parking lot next door to their residence, turned around, and again drove past.
The parents told police, according to the complaint, that the van's driver -- later identified as John Back -- leaned out of his window, snapped his fingers at the children and told them to get in his van.
The children reported that the man said "come here and see what I have in my hand." When the parents yelled at the man, he drove off.
Investigators found that the license plate number and vehicle description provided by the parents matched, and the vehicle was registered to Back.
One of the parents later identified Back from a photo array as being the man in the van.
Police found Back, took him into custody and impounded his vehicle on Aug. 14. He denied being at the location of the incident and making statements to the kids.
On Aug. 20, the complaint states, a parent sent an image and a video to investigators showing the same vehicle parked a little more than 1,000 feet from the residence. Police said the vehicle had been released from impound the previous day.
Back has been previously convicted of disorderly conduct and bail jumping on multiple occasions. He has also been convicted of criminal damage of property, misdemeanor battery and drug-related charges. His conviction record spans from 1999 through 2017.