Huntley man with 1990s sex crime conviction faces child pornography charges
A 57-year-old Huntley man with a past conviction for aggravated criminal sexual abuse was arrested and charged Friday with felony child pornography possession after an investigation by the Illinois attorney general's office.
Jeffrey L. Gwin, of the 12100 block of Cherry Hills Lane, is charged with 10 felony counts of possession of child pornography of a child under 13 and is subject to enhanced sentencing of up to 15 years in prison because of his previous conviction, according to Kane County court records and the attorney general's office.
Investigators from the attorney general's office, along with Huntley police, searched Gwin's house on June 25 and arrested him Friday after evidence of child pornography was found, officials said.
“Child pornography is an abhorrent crime that exploits innocent children and their families each time an image is downloaded or shared,” Attorney General Kwame Raoul said in a prepared statement. “I am committed to partnering with local law enforcement agencies, through the internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, to identify and protect the public from these offenders.”
Attorney general's office spokesperson Tori Joseph said police were alerted to the child pornography through a cyber tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
The total number of images and videos Gwin is accused of possessing is unknown at this time, and his past conviction was for aggravated criminal sexual abuse was in 1992, Joseph said.
Gwin is held at the Kane County jail on $100,000 bail, meaning he must post $10,000 to be released while the charges are pending. If he does post bond, he is to have no contact with anyone under 18, records show.
Despite his conviction, Gwin was not listed as a sex offender on the Illinois State Police's registry.
He is next due in court July 10 and faces a prison term of four to 15 years if convicted, although probation also is possible.
Since 2006, the attorney general's Illinois internet Crimes Against Children Task Force has arrested more than 1,600 sexual predators, according to Raoul's office.