Oak Forest man pleads not guilty to sex assault, child porn charges

An Oak Forest man pleaded not guilty Wednesday to charges of child molestation and child pornography arising from a Buffalo Grove case.

Jason Akai, 44, has been charged with two felony counts of predatory criminal sexual assault of a child under 13, as well as 21 felony counts of possession of child pornography.

If found guilty, Akai could be sentenced to up to 30 years in prison on each count, according to the Lake County state's attorney's office.

Lake County Judge Victoria Rossetti formally accepted Akai's pleas and set a trial date for Dec. 2.

Bail for Akai was set at $750,000. He bonded out on July 20 by posting 10 percent.

Akai and Kimberly Schubert, 43, of Buffalo Grove were charged with harming children after the Department of Children and Family Services alerted the Buffalo Grove Police Department of a tip from an out-of-state therapist, a news release said.

Investigators looking into Schubert's case determined pornographic images had been distributed to Akai, leading to a search of his home, according to the news release.

Akai will next be in court on Aug. 29.