Police: Barrington man had thousands of images of child porn

A 45-year-old Barrington man is in custody at the Lake County jail facing allegations he had more than 10,000 images and videos of suspected child pornography on electronic devices seized from his home Wednesday, Lake County authorities said.

John P. Malecki, of the 500 block of Shorely Drive, is charged with 10 counts of possession of child pornography, a felony punishable by a maximum three to seven years in prison, according to the Lake County Sheriff's Office.

Sheriff's police said an investigation into suspected child pornography by its Cybercrimes Unit led to a search warrant being executed at Malecki's home on Wednesday.

Authorities said multiple electronic devices capable of storing digital media were seized during the search, and a forensic exam of those items revealed thousands of videos and images, many of which involved children under the age of 13.

Because of the large volume of suspected child pornography, more digital forensic exams will be conducted and additional charges are possible, sheriff's police said.

Malecki is being held in the Lake County jail on $150,000 bail, officials said. He is scheduled to appear in court Friday morning.