The Lake County Sheriff’s Office has arrested a Highwood man following a child exploitation investigation where they say he was found with numerous sexually explicit images and videos of young children.
The Lake County Sheriff’s Office said they received a tip from a social media provider indicating a device in Lake County shared suspected child pornography.
Lake County Assistant State’s Attorney Sue Price Cohen said the cybertips came from X Corp., formerly known as Twitter.
Sheriff’s detectives began an investigation and determined the likely source was coming from a home in the 200 block of Sheridan Avenue in Highwood, according to Lake County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Chief Christopher Covelli.
Detectives obtained a search warrant for the residence and conducted the warrant with the assistance of the Illinois Attorney General’s Office and the Highwood Police Department on Thursday.
Lake County Sheriff’s Office Electronic Detection Canine Enzo assisted with the search.
Covelli said detectives seized electronics that contained dozens of child pornography images and videos of children under the age of 13, during the search.
Elias Carballido, 18, who lives in the home with his parents and adult sister, was arrested and Covelli said the devices belonged to him.
Carballido told investigators he uses the videos to trade with others on X, Price Cohen said.
Prosecutors also said he had disseminated images of his adult sister online.
The Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office reviewed the case and approved seven counts of possessing child pornography against Carballido. Additional charges are possible.
“Our Cyber Crimes Unit continues to consistently target and arrest some of the most dangerous online predators. This work is deliberate, ongoing, and essential to keeping children safe,” Lake County Sheriff John D. Idleburg said.
“These investigations and arrests will continue to be a priority of ours in our mission to protecting our community,” Idleburg said.
Carballido remains held in the Lake County Jail after appearing for an Initial Appearance Court hearing on Friday morning.
The Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office filed a petition to detain Carballido in custody while awaiting trial and a detention hearing was held on Friday afternoon.
Lake County Judge James Newman granted the petition after saying he did not believe there were any conditions of pre-trial release that could mitigate the threat of Carballido continuing his illegal activity from his home.