Not guilty plea in Lake Co. porn case

A Round Lake Park man charged with possession of a large amount of child pornography pleaded not guilty Wednesday in Lake County Circuit Court.

David Cashmore, 44, of 534 E. Washington St., faces up to five years in prison if convicted of any of the 31 counts of child pornography against him.

Assistant State's Attorney Ryan Koehl said Cashmore was arrested July 23 after an investigation by several agencies.

A confidential informant told police Cashmore was hoarding child pornography, Koehl said. The tip prompted a month-long investigation by Round Lake Park-Hainesville police, the Lake County state's attorney's office and the federal bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

A search warrant eventually was obtained for Cashmore's house, and police seized several computers and hundreds of compact discs containing images of child pornography.

Circuit Judge Victoria Rossetti told Cashmore that in addition to a potential prison sentence, he faces the possibility of lifetime parole and sex offender registration.

She scheduled a trial of the case for Nov. 26 and ordered Cashmore to appear in court Oct. 11.