A judge released a Crystal Lake man from custody after investigators found he distributed child pornography, including a video of a child crying while being assaulted.
The Crystal Lake Police Department and the Illinois Attorney General’s Office executed a search warrant at a residence in the 200 block of Wallace Avenue on Tuesday.
Crystal Lake Deputy Police Chief Richard Neumann said the warrant was the result of an investigation that began after a tip was sent to the department by the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, of which the Crystal Lake Police Department is a participating member.
The Crystal Lake Police Department Criminal Investigations Unit conducted the investigation and obtained the warrant for the residence where 18-year-old Dylan L. Morris lives.
Neumann said detectives took Morris into custody and he was charged with four counts of child pornography, a Class X felony, and four counts of child pornography, a Class 2 felony.
A criminal complaint filed in McHenry County Circuit Court said investigators found four videos had been distributed by Morris.
The videos all involved children believed to be under the age of 13 being sexually assaulted, the complaint said.
One of the videos showed a child crying while being assaulted, the complaint said. One of the victims was estimated to be three to six years old.
The McHenry County State’s Attorney’s Office filed a petition to detain Morris in jail pending trial, calling him a threat to the community.
Prosecutors said during an initial court hearing that Morris made threats to commit rape directed at specific persons, court documents show.
McHenry County Judge Jennifer Johnson denied prosecutors’ petition and released Morris from the McHenry County Jail.
She ordered him to be placed on GPS monitoring and home confinement, court records show.
Detectives are continuing to investigate the actions of Morris, Neumann said.
The police department said they encourage anyone who may have information on the case to contact them at 815-356-3620.