Kenosha man accused of stalking Gurnee-area girl, sharing nude photos and videos of her

A Kenosha man has been charged with felony stalking of a minor from the Gurnee area, as well as possession and distribution of child pornography.

Howard M. Hickey, 56, of the 8500 block of 64th Street in Kenosha, lured a 16-year-old girl in 2016 into sharing nude photos and videos of herself with him online, Lake County authorities said in a news release Tuesday.

Hickey convinced the girl that he was a 16-year-old boy and that the two were in a quasi-relationship, authorities said.

After several months of communicating online, the girl stopped the communication but in 2019 received an unsolicited message from the "boy," who was still actually Hickey, the news release said.

Hickey threatened her, saying that if she didn't send additional nude photos and videos, he would send the nude photos and videos that were already in his possession to her family and friends, authorities said. The girl refused to comply, and Hickey sent the photos and videos, authorities said.

The Lake County sheriff's cybercrimes unit investigated and eventually got a warrant to search Hickey's house on July 1. Hickey attempted to destroy an electronic device during the search, the news release said.

"I cannot stress it enough: Sexual predators lurk online and often pretend to be people they are not," Sheriff John Idleburg said. "Parents, please always check who your children communicate with online and monitor the applications they use."

Hickey was released from the Kenosha County jail after posting $20,000 bail.