Lake County man accused of child porn possession facing felony charges

WAUKEGAN, Ill. — A Lake County man accused of child pornography possession is now facing a slew of felony charges.

Thomas Castillo, a 65-year-old Waukegan resident, has been charged with five counts of possession of child pornography, Lake County Sheriff’s Detectives announced Friday.

The charges stem from an investigation that began after deputies received a tip from an email provider indicating that a device in Lake County had allegedly sent suspected child pornography in an email.

Further investigation then indicated that the alleged email had likely been sent from an apartment in the 3300 block of Sunset Avenue, Waukegan.

After obtaining a search warrant for the apartment, Lake County deputies, alongside electronic detection K9 Grip and electronic detection K9 Enzo, removed electronics belonging to Castillo from the home.

It was then determined that the seized electronics allegedly contained dozens of child pornography images and videos of children under the age of 13.

After reviewing the facts of the case, the Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office approved the charges against Castillo.

Castillo, who was being held at the Lake County Jail, appeared in court on Friday morning for an initial hearing.

Additionally, the Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office plans to petition for pre-trial detention.