Detectives arrested a Zion man after they say they found him possessing numerous videos of sexual abuse material of children as young as infants following a search warrant.
Lake County Sheriff’s Office detectives began an investigation after they received a tip from an online cloud storage website, according to Lake County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Chief Christopher Covelli.
The tip indicated a device in Lake County uploaded child pornography to the platform.
Sheriff’s detectives determined the likely source was coming from a residence in the 3200 block of Enoch Avenue in Zion.
Detectives obtained a search warrant for the residence and conducted the search warrant with the Illinois Attorney General’s Office and Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office Cybercrime Unit on Friday.
Detectives seized electronics that contained child pornography. Covelli said the devices belonged to Michael J. Guerra, 55, who resides at the home.
Among the material found were numerous videos of child pornography, some involving children as young as infants, Covelli said.
The Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office approved two counts of possession of child pornography, a Class 2 felony, against Guerra.
Covelli said Guerra’s numerous electronic devices continue to be forensically analyzed and additional charges are likely.
“This is yet another successful investigation and arrest of a child predator by our detectives,” Lake County Sheriff John D. Idleburg said.
“We will stop at nothing to protect the most vulnerable in our community. I’m grateful for the incredible collaboration between our office, the Attorney General’s Office, and the State’s Attorney’s Office to investigate these crimes and hold these individuals accountable,” Idleburg said.
Guerra remains held in the Lake County Jail pending a First Appearance Court hearing set for Saturday morning.
The Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office filed a petition to detain him pending trial.