Palatine man charged with child pornography, child sex abuse

A Palatine man who authorities say used his cellphone to record the sexual abuse of a 4-year-old girl was ordered held without bail Friday. He's also charged in the abuse of a 5-year-old girl.

Jeremy Reyes, 18, is charged with child pornography, predatory criminal sexual assault, aggravated kidnapping and aggravated criminal sexual abuse.

Assistant Cook County State's Attorney C.J. Orrantia referred to "other potential child victims in the same neighborhood" when he asked Cook County Judge Ellen Mandletort to hold Reyes without bail.

According to Orrantia, Reyes approached the 4-year-old, who was playing outside a relative's home on May 27. He asked the girl to accompany him to a stairway landing between the second and third floors of a building, then videotaped the sexual assault, Orrantia said.

The same day, the girl told her mother, who contacted police, Orrantia said.

On June 16, Reyes approached a 5-year-old girl and asked her to accompany him into a building, where he sexually abused her, according to Orrantia. Two witnesses saw Reyes in the area, including the mother of the 4-year-old girl, and notified police, Orrantia said.

Police, who arrested Reyes about 6:30 p.m. that day, subsequently recovered images of the abuse of the 4-year-old on the defendant's cellphone, Orrantia said.

Orrantia said Reyes, who has no criminal background, is not related to either of the girls and that he posed "a real and present threat to the safety of any person or persons but in particular vulnerable young children."

Reyes next appears in court on July 29.