Charges filed against Grayslake man living at in-house day care business

GRAYSLAKE – A Grayslake man whose family member runs an in-house child day care has been charged in connection with possessing hundreds of videos and images of child sexual abuse, authorities said.

Lake County Sheriff’s detectives conducted an investigation after learning that videos containing child sexual abuse were being downloaded and shared from a residence in the 1200 block of Chesterfield Lane in Grayslake, according to a news release.

On July 19, detectives conducted the search warrant at the residence. Just before detectives entered the home, one of the people living there, Jose Real, 52, appeared to hide his cellphone in a potted plant, police said. Detectives were able to quickly find the hidden phone, which they seized.

Detectives conducted a forensic examination of the phone and located what appeared to be more than 1,000 videos and images of child sexual abuse, some of which involved children as young as infants, according to the release.

On July 30, detectives obtained an arrest warrant for Real for three counts of possession of child pornography of children under the age of 13 (Class 2 felonies). Real was arrested July 31 without incident.

During the investigation, detectives learned that Real’s family member runs a day care out of the home. Detectives actively are investigating to determine if any of the recovered child sexual abuse images are linked to the children who were being supervised at the home, according to the release.

The Lake County Sheriff’s Office asks the community to speak to your children about inappropriate touching and grooming. If you feel your child has been victimized, contact your local law enforcement agency.

The Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office filed a petition to detain Real in custody while awaiting trial and a Lake County judge granted the petition to detain Real.

“With the SAFE-T Act, we are able to keep our children safe from predators like this one,” Lake County State’s Attorney Eric Rinehart said in a news release. “Under the cash system, based on preliminary data, seven out of every 10 offenders charged with child pornography were posting large amounts of cash and getting out on bail. Ever since the SAFE-T Act went into effect, we have held every offender being charged with possession of child pornography.”

Real is scheduled for a preliminary hearing Aug. 29.

The Department of Children and Family Services was alerted to the situation and the day care no longer is allowed to operate while the investigation is underway.