Antioch man charged with child porn possession

An Antioch man was ordered held on $500,000 bond Wednesday after police said they found images of child pornography in his computer.

Lake County Assistant State's Attorney Mary Stanton said officials are continuing to investigate the activities of Joshua Johnson, 25, and are asking the public to assist them.

Stanton said Johnson is on probation for a battery conviction, and part of that probation required him to submit his computer for inspection when requested.

A probation officer took Johnson's computer and a thumb drive from his home in the 38000 block of North Drexel Boulevard on April 4, Stanton said. The probation officer called the state's attorney's office after finding suspected child pornography on the computer, Stanton said, and an investigator did a forensic search of the computer.

Tuesday, investigators went to Johnson's residence and told him they had found numerous images of child pornography, Stanton said.

The investigators said Johnson admitted he had been downloading child pornography from the Internet for the past two to three years.

Stanton said Johnson is charged with 15 counts of possession of child pornography, each of which carries a maximum of five years in prison upon conviction.

She said investigators are still attempting to determine if Johnson has been involved in any other illegal activity, and urged anyone with information about him to call (847) 377-3000.

Associate Judge Raymond Collins set Johnson's bond at a hearing Wednesday morning and ordered him to appear in court May 25.