COOK COUNTY, IL – A 19-year-old Lansing man appeared in court today for possession of child pornography following a months-long investigation by the Cook County Sheriff’s Police Internet Crimes Against Children Unit, Sheriff Thomas J. Dart announced today.
On Thursday March 7, investigators arrested Emilio Arredondo, of the 17700 block of Burnham Avenue, after they determined he viewed and downloaded numerous files containing Child Sex Abuse Material on his cell phone.
The Internet Crimes Against Children Unit (ICAC) began its investigation following a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children regarding videos and images of child pornography saved on a cloud-based storage account and confirmed it belonged to Arredondo.
After being issued his Miranda Warning, Arredondo stated the account belonged to him and that he viewed and downloaded child pornography on his cellphone on several occasions. A forensic analysis of his cell phone revealed hundreds of files containing sexually explicit images and videos of children as young as infants and toddlers.
The Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office approved charges of Possession of Child Pornography, a Class 2 felony. Arredondo appeared today at the Markham Courthouse where a judge ordered him held in custody at the Cook County Jail. His next court hearing is scheduled for March 20.
Since 2020, investigations by the Sheriff’s ICAC Unit have led to charges against 41 individuals for cases involving the victimization of children and child pornography.
The public is reminded that the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty by the government in a court of law.
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