School officials confirmed a Crystal Lake man arrested for possessing horrific videos of children being sexually assaulted was previously a volunteer wrestling coach at Deerfield High School.
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’s LinkedIn profile lists him as a social media coordinator and assistant wrestling coach at Deerfield High School from September 2012 to the present.
Township High School District 113 Superintendent Dr. Chala Holland said in a letter to the school district that Cohen served as an active volunteer coach for the Deerfield High School Boys Wrestling Team in the 2018-2019 and 2019-2020 school years.
He had successfully passed a criminal background check.
He remained listed as a volunteer coach in the parent wrestling handbook for the 2021-22 and 2022-23 school years.
After the 2022-23 school year, Cohen was not named in anymore handbooks. “District 113 is unaware of any allegations of criminal activity against the defendant during the time the defendant volunteered as an assistant wrestling coach,” Holland said.
“This is a very concerning situation. Please note that the charges are pending solely against the defendant named above and do not involve any other current or former employees or volunteers,” Holland said.
Cohen is scheduled to appear in court again on May 15 for a status of preliminary hearing.