Des Plaines man facing child pornography charges

A Des Plaines man is accused of sharing explicit images and videos of children as young as infants via a social media app, officials said Wednesday.

Jonathan Koziol, 39, of the 800 block of Leahy Circle, is charged with dissemination of child pornography and a possession of a weapon by a felon, according to a news release from the Cook County sheriff's police.

When the sheriff's Internet Crimes Against Children Unit received a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children about a social media account with hundreds of pornographic images and videos of underage children, investigators determined the account belonged to Koziol and it had been used to distribute the material to other people, the release stated.

Investigators executed a search warrant at his home on Monday and took his cellphone, additional electronics, and a safe containing a handgun, officials said; in 2015, Koziol was convicted of aggravated assault to a police officer while operating a vehicle and does not have a valid Firearm Owner's Identification card or concealed carry License.

Koziol was taken into custody and transported to sheriff's police headquarters in Maywood. He appeared before a judge in Skokie Wednesday morning, where his bond was set at $500,000.