Kendall County Sheriff’s Office honors forensic examiner for work on child sex abuse case

YORKVILLE -- Sexual assault of a child and the production of child pornography are among the most heinous and horrific of crimes.

Investigating the evidence in such cases requires both forensic expertise and the mental strength to deal with highly disturbing images.

That’s why the Kendall County Sheriff’s Office has made a point of honoring an employee of the Illinois Attorney General’s Office who was instrumental in helping local authorities identify, charge and ultimately convict a child rapist.

Senior Digital Forensic Examiner Steve Strahm of the Illinois Attorney General’s High Tech Crime Bureau was awarded the Kendall County Sheriff’s Civilian Commendation Award during a ceremony on April 19 before the Kendall County Board.

“Through his diligence and expertise, he was able to defeat significant security features and located hundreds of items of evidence,” Deputy Commander Caleb Waltmire of the sheriff’s office said of Strahm in presenting the award.

“Due in large part to Steve’s dedication to his work, a child was rescued from the abuser,” Waltmire said.

The story began in October of 2020 when the sheriff’s office received tips from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children regarding a user who was possibly sexually abusing a child and producing child pornography, Waltmire said.

After Kendall County detectives secured a search warrant for the residence of a Minooka man and seized many electronic items, the sheriff’s office sought Strahm’s assistance.

Strahm conducted a forensic analysis of the electronic devices, working for several months on the case.

Meanwhile, the sheriff’s and Kendall County State’s Attorney’s offices worked together to gather the evidence needed to make an arrest within days of receiving the initial anonymous information.

On March 29 of this year, Shane English, 39, pled guilty to four counts of Predatory Criminal Sexual Assault of a Child and was sentenced to 60 years in prison by Kendall County Presiding Judge Robert Pilmer.

Kendall County State’s Attorney Eric Weis said English had video recorded numerous instances of himself having sexual contact with a child family member who was about 4-years-old at the time.

Waltmire said that Strahm’s expert analysis had been a key factor in ending the abuse and producing the guilty plea.

“The sheriff’s office greatly values our partnerships with state, local and federal agencies which enable us to better serve the residents of Kendall County,” Waltmire said. “Steve’s efforts highlight that value, and he brings additional credit to himself and the Illinois Attorney General’s Office by his exceptional efforts.”