Detectives arrested an Antioch man, who is an employee of the Village of Lake Forest, after they say he was found with numerous sexually explicit videos and photos of young children on Thursday.
Lake County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Chief Christopher Covelli said the sheriff’s office received a tip from an email provider indicating a device in Lake County emailed suspected child pornography.
Lake County Assistant State’s Attorney Michael Theis said the cybertip came from Yahoo, which detected a file uploaded on their servers on June 28. The user sent the explicit video to other email addresses.
Sheriff’s detectives began an investigation and determined the likely source was coming from a home in the 1000 block of Deertrail Court in Antioch.
Detectives obtained a search warrant for the residence and conducted the warrant with the Illinois Attorney General’s Office and Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office on Thursday, Covelli said.
Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office Electronic Detection Canine Grip and Sheriff’s Electronic Detection Canine Enzo assisted with the search.
Detectives seized electronics that were found to contain dozens of images and videos of children under the age of 13 being sexually abused, Covelli said.
Covelli said the devices belonged to David J. Ransdell, 72, who lives in the home.
Ransdell reportedly lives alone and was home at the time of the search. He admitted to recognizing the video that was at the center of the initial cybertip and said he sent it to another email user, Theis said.
“There is zero tolerance for those who exploit children, whether online or in person. Our Cyber Crimes Team will continue to be relentless in their efforts to identify predators who hide behind electronics,” Lake County Sheriff John D. Idleburg said.
“This investigation demonstrates the strength of our collaboration with the Illinois Attorney General’s Office and the Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office in our joint quest to keep our community’s children safe,” Idleburg said.
The Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office reviewed the case and approved five counts of possessing child pornography against Ransdell.
One count is a Class X Felony, the most serious felony besides murder, and four counts are Class 2 felonies. Additional charges are possible.
Ransdell remains held in the Lake County Jail after appearing in First Appearance Court on Friday morning.
The Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office filed a petition to detain Ransdell while he awaits trial.
Lake County Assistant State’s Attorney Colleen McConnell said that Ransdell told investigators he “likes teenagers.”
A public defender for Ransdell said her client works a seasonal job for the City of Lake Forest as a public works employee, is not a flight risk and has no criminal history.
Ransdell has worked for the city since 2013 as a maintenance worker.
A detention hearing was held on Friday afternoon and Lake County Judge Michael Nerheim granted the petition to detain him, saying that Ransdell poses a danger to children and his behavior perpetuates the child pornography industry.
Ransdell is scheduled to appear in court again on February 5 for a preliminary hearing.