Youth group leader charged in child porn case moving away from public park

A youth group leader from Buffalo Grove facing charges of possession of child pornography is selling his house because it is within 500 feet of a public park, attorneys said Thursday.

Harry O. Jones, 44, is leaving his home on the 1300 block of Green Knolls Drive and moving to a different location, attorney Barry Sheppard said in court.

The move prompted Sheppard to ask that Jones' trial be pushed back to June 29 from May 26. A plea deal is on the table, officials said, and the two sides expect to resolve the case before Jones' next court date, June 10.

Assistant State's Attorney Mary Stanton said Jones is officially allowed to be in the house while he is out on bail because he is not yet a registered sex offender. However, Stanton said Jones will not be allowed to reside within 500 feet of a school or park should the case be resolved and he is required to register as a sex offender.

“It's not currently a condition of his bail, so he is allowed to stay there,” she said. “But, he needs to be out of there before he pleads guilty.”

Jones was charged with three counts of disseminating child pornography and seven counts of possession of child pornography after his Feb. 5 arrest, authorities said.

Authorities used search warrants at Jones' home and Lake Forest office to seize an “extensive amount” of images and videos identified as child pornography, officials said.

It was also determined Jones distributed several photographs containing child pornography, depicting children under the age of 13, according to police.

He is free from Lake County jail after posting the required 10 percent of his $250,000 bail.

Jones was an active member and leader of several youth organizations, including a suburban Mormon Church youth group and a Boy Scouts group, authorities said. None of the pornographic photos are of children in any of those groups, officials said.

Each count of disseminating child pornography is a felony that carries a prison sentence of six to 30 years upon conviction.