A Crystal Lake man was arrested after investigators found him allegedly in possession of horrific videos of children, some as young as six years old, being sexually assaulted.
Alexander E. Cohen, 34, of Crystal Lake, was charged with 10 counts of possession of child pornography, a Class 2 felony.
A criminal complaint filed in McHenry County Circuit Court alleges Cohen electronically possessed at least 10 different videos of child pornography.
The complaint detailed the videos, which all depicted children younger than 13 being sexually assaulted.
Some of the victims were under the ages of nine, eight and six, according to court documents. They were bound and gagged while being assaulted.
The Crystal Lake Police Department conducted an investigation and arrested Cohen on Thursday.
Cohen was transported to the McHenry County Jail and appeared for an Initial Appearance Court hearing on Friday.
The McHenry County State’s Attorney’s Office filed a petition to detain Cohen pending trial, calling him a real and present danger to the community.
McHenry County Judge Cynthia Lamb granted the petition and ordered Cohen held in custody.
The judge said it is clear that Cohen poses a danger to the community based on the type of material in his possession.
“Even with the defendant’s lack of criminal history, by possessing the type of material he did and such an amount of the same, the defendant has supported and will continue to support a market that presents a real threat and the court is not aware of any conditions that will mitigate such,” Lamb said.
Cohen is scheduled to appear in court again on May 15 for a status of preliminary hearing.