Elk Grove Village man charged with promoting prostitution in online ad

ELK GROVE VILLAGE, Ill. (WLS) -- A 31-year-old northwest suburban man was arrested Thursday and charged with promoting prostitution through an online advertisement, Cook County Sheriff's officials say.

Blake Steckel, of Elk Grove Village, allegedly advertised for prostitution on the classified ad site Backpage.com.

Cook County Sheriff officials describe Backpage.com as a classified advertisement website whose "escort" pages serve as prominent hubs for prostitution and sex trafficking. The Sheriff's Vice Unit has made about 750 arrests from those ads since 2009.

Steckel is scheduled to appear in court Friday afternoon at the Rolling Meadows Courthouse.