Lake in the Hills man charged with having child porn
By SARAH SUTSCHEK - ssutschek@nwherald.com
LAKE IN THE HILLS – A Lake in the Hills man is free on $50,000 bond after being charged with three counts of possession of child pornography.
Christopher Gidley, 33, 507 Pawnee Drive, was released Thursday after posting $5,000 bail.
Gidley was arrested as part of an investigation that began in April 2006 when Immigration and Customs Enforcement discovered a criminal organization operating commercial child pornography Web sites. The investigation revealed numerous people buying child pornography throughout the country and in McHenry County.
After ICE’s initial investigation, the case was handed over to the McHenry County Sheriff’s Office, which is a member of the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. Sheriff’s police conducted a computer forensic analysis on a computer confiscated from Gidley’s home, which confirmed his purchases from the child pornography sites.
“The investigation is ongoing with regard to other potential offenders,” Sgt. James Popovits said.
Possession of child pornography is a Class 3 felony, punish
able by up to five years in prison.
