Lake County Gazette

A Zion man is facing charges related to child pornography following an investigation by Lake County Sheriff's detectives. The investigation revealed that the individual possessed numerous images and videos, many involving children under the age of 13.

According to a news release, detectives received a tip from an online cloud storage website indicating that a device in Lake County had uploaded child pornography to their platform. Detectives initiated an investigation and determined that the likely source was a residence in Zion, located in the 3000 block of Gabriel Avenue.

"Thanks to the relentless efforts of our Cyber Crimes Unit, another child predator has been identified and arrested," Sheriff John Idleburg said, according to the news release. "These types of arrests highlight the ongoing threat these offenders pose to children and the importance of staying vigilant." Idleburg further said, "Our team works tirelessly to protect kids, but prevention starts at home."

Following this lead, detectives obtained a search warrant for the residence and conducted a search with assistance from the Attorney General's Office on July 8. The Lake County State's Attorney's Office Electronic Detection K9 Grip and Sheriff's Office Electronic Detection K9 Enzo were involved in the search. Electronics seized during this operation allegedly contained child pornography belonging to Sergio Guillen, 23, who resides at the same address.

The Lake County State's Attorney's office reviewed the facts and circumstances surrounding the investigation and approved charges of three counts of possessing child pornography against Guillen. Additional charges may be forthcoming. A petition was filed by the State's Attorney's Office to detain Guillen while awaiting trial. During his first court appearance on July 9, he was ordered held in Lake County Jail pending a detention hearing scheduled for July 10.

The release emphasized that defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.