Authorities: Zion man had child sexual abuse images

A Zion man has been arrested on charges of possessing dozens of videos and images of child sexual abuse.

Lake County sheriff’s detectives conducted an investigation after learning images and videos containing child sexual abuse were being downloaded at a home in the 2300 block of Joppa Avenue in Zion, authorities said.

On July 2, sheriff’s detectives and members of the Illinois Attorney General’s Cybercrime Unit conducted a search warrant at the home. Digital forensic examiners with the attorney general’s office analyzed electronic devices belonging to Christopher J. Abernathy, which revealed dozens of videos with children as young as infants being sexually assaulted, authorities allege.

Abernathy, 37, also was saving the harmful videos and images to a cloud storage account, authorities said.

He is charged with three counts of possession of child pornography. Additional charges are possible, authorities said.

Prosecutors filed a petition to detain Abernathy in custody while he awaits trial.