73-year-old Rolling Meadows man charged with having child porn

A resident of a Rolling Meadows supportive living facility was charged with possession of child pornography after employees noticed inappropriate searches on his computer, authorities said.

Gary Schar, 73, was ordered held on a $25,000 I-bond Thursday, which means he was released on his own recognizance without having to post bail.

The employees noticed the inappropriate searches on June 23 while assisting Schar with his printer, said Cook County Assistant State's Attorney Jennifer Gates. The employees subsequently told a supervisor, who called police.

On June 26, detectives spoke to Schar. who consented to a search of his laptop and external hard drives, Gates said.

According to analysts from the Chicago Regional Forensics Laboratory, the hard drives revealed 1,120 images and 64 videos that could be categorized as child pornography, Gates said. Of those, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children confirmed 239 images as child pornography, she said.

Schar has no criminal background, Gates said. If convicted, he faces three to seven years in prison. Probation is also an option.

He next appears in court on Nov. 26.