Huntley man accused of hosting child porn file-sharing network

CHICAGO — A Huntley man is facing a slew of felony charges after authorities say he was found to be hosting and sharing child porn using a peer-to-peer file-sharing network.

According to Huntley police, 45-year-old Alexander Grant has been charged with 10 counts of distribution of child pornography and two counts of possession of child pornography.

Officers say the investigation began in July of this year after Batavia police informed Huntley officers about a Huntley-based IP address that was allegedly hosting child pornography for download via a peer-to-peer (P2P) sharing network.

P2P file-sharing networks allow people to share data directly with others over the internet without a central server.

Following a probe by the Huntley Police Department’s Investigations Division, Grant was identified as a suspect in the case.

The next break in the case came when investigators executed a search warrant at Grant’s home in the 9100 block of Ramsdell Street on Thursday.

During their search, authorities seized several electronic devices. Grant was later taken into custody based on evidence gained during a search of the devices.

Following his arrest, Grant was taken to the McHenry County Jail, where he remains in custody pending a detention hearing.