A Crystal Lake man and convicted felon being held in the McHenry County Jail on child pornography charges was found dead in his jail cell Monday evening, the sheriff said.
Andrew S. Ladd, 42, of the 100 block of Dole Avenue in Crystal Lake, was being held on seven counts of possession of child pornography, a Class 2 felony, and one count of felon in possession of a firearm, a Class 3 felony.
The McHenry County Sheriff’s Office said Ladd had been held in the jail since February 22.
Corrections officers were doing rounds around 9 p.m. Monday when they discovered Ladd unresponsive in his single-occupancy cell.
Corrections officers and the Woodstock Fire and Rescue District attempted lifesaving measures without success. Ladd was pronounced dead at the scene, the sheriff’s office said.
The investigation was turned over to the McHenry County Major Investigation Assistance Team and the McHenry County Coronerโs Office.
A criminal complaint filed in McHenry County court alleged that Ladd was found in possession of seven sexually explicit images on February 11.
The complaint said the images showed children, under the age of 13, posing in a lewd exhibition.
A second criminal complaint alleges that Ladd was also in possession of a sawed-off Baretta shotgun at his Dole Avenue residence.
Ladd pleaded guilty in 2001 to one count of reckless homicide, a Class 2 felony, for hitting and killing a pedestrian, Reyes Soto Sanchez, on April 8, 2000.
Ladd was driving his 1991 Nissan pickup truck while under the influence of alcohol. He was also speeding when he struck Sanchez.
Due to the felony conviction, Ladd was barred from owning or possessing any firearms.