Lake County Gazette

Lake County Sheriff's detectives have arrested a Grayslake man for possessing hundreds of videos and images of child pornography. A family member of the suspect runs an in-house child daycare.

According to a Lake County Sheriff's Office news release, an investigation began when sheriff's detectives learned that videos containing child pornography were being downloaded and shared from a residence in the 1200 block of Chesterfield Lane, Grayslake. A search warrant was obtained, and on July 19, sheriff's detectives searched the home. Just before entering the home, Jose Real, 52, who lives there, appeared to hide a cellphone in a potted plant. The phone was found and seized.

A forensic examination was conducted on the phone, which required bypassing its passcode. According to the news release, sheriff's detectives found what appeared to be more than 1,000 videos and images of child pornography. Based on the evidence, they determined that Real was responsible for the downloads and sharing.

An arrest warrant was obtained for Real for three counts of possession of child pornography involving children under the age of 13 (class 2 felonies). He was arrested on July 31 without incident.

Sheriff's detectives also learned that a family member of Real runs a daycare out of the same home. They are investigating if any of the pornography is linked to children who were supervised at the home. The Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) was notified, and the daycare must not operate during the investigation.

A Lake County judge ordered Real to be held in the Lake County Jail pending a detention hearing on Aug. 2. The Lake County Sheriff's Office filed a petition to detain him in custody while awaiting trial. Defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.