Former youth volleyball coach charged with soliciting, grooming a minor: Lake Co. sheriff

LAKE COUNTY, Ill. (WLS) -- A former youth volleyball coach in the north suburbs is now charged with grooming a minor.

For the past several weeks, Philip Bromley, 44, of McHenry was allegedly chatting online with someone he thought was a girl under the age of 14.

That person was actually an undercover detective.

Police said when Bromley arranged a meeting in Lake County, he was arrested.

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He's been charged with indecent solicitation of a minor, traveling to meet a minor and grooming.

Bromley was being held in the Lake County Jail, pending an initial court hearing Thursday morning.

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Anyone who may have been victimized by Bromley in the past is urged to file a police report.

The Lake County Sheriff's Office is also asking parents to monitor who their children are talking to on social media.

Sky High Volleyball, located in Libertyville, said in a statement that Bromley was a part-time coach from late November 2008 through June 2013.

"Sky High has not had any contact with Mr. Bromley since his departure and has not been affiliated with our program for a decade. Our governing body, Great Lakes Region/USA Volleyball, runs thorough background checks on all coaches and they are mandated to take the USA IMPACT training before coaching any minors. Since March of 2017, the SAFESPORT training is also now required for all coaches. Sky High has been around since 1989 and has been one of the leaders in the club sports industry for training and performance. Sky High prides itself on placing many safeguards in our venues to help keeps our players safe at all times," the statement said.