Sheriff’s detectives have arrested a man after officials say he was found with child sexual abuse material, including one file which involved a toddler, following a search conducted near Crystal Lake Tuesday.
Members of the Illinois Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, including the McHenry County Sheriff’s Office and digital forensic examiners from the Illinois Attorney General’s Office, executed a search warrant in the 4000 block of Johnson Avenue in unincorporated Crystal Lake.
The warrant was obtained as part of an investigation regarding the suspicion of possession of child pornography, also known as child sexual abuse material, sheriff’s officials said.
The National Center of Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) in October forwarded the McHenry County Sheriff’s Office information pertaining to the possible possession of child pornography by an electronic service provider.
The sheriff’s office initiated an investigation after receiving the NCMEC tip.
The investigation led to the identification of the offender as Brian Lazaro, 22, of Crystal Lake, and investigators were able to verify he was in possession of child pornography, sheriff’s officials said.
A criminal complaint filed in McHenry County Circuit Court alleges Lazaro possessed at least three videos and one image of children under the age of 18 engaged in acts of sexual conduct.
Court documents said one of the children was a toddler and that Loazaro admitted to requesting the material from an online user.
Lazaro was charged with four counts of possession of child pornography, a Class 2 felony.
He appeared in court on Wednesday afternoon and McHenry County Judge Cynthia Lamb ordered him held in custody pending trial.
Anyone with information concerning the abuse of children or child sexual abuse material is encouraged to contact their local law enforcement.