Lockport man accused of sex crimes against teens in New York, Washington

A Lockport man was arrested after he was accused of committing sex crimes against multiple teens from the states of New York, Washington and Illinois.

About 8:10 p.m. Wednesday, Steven Spencer, 37, was transported to the Will County jail on charges of grooming, sexual exploitation of a child, indecent solicitation of a child and child sex abuse materials.

During the investigation of Spencer by the Lockport Police Department, officers seized 17 firearms and numerous rounds of ammunition from his residence.

Spencer may face additional charges “once the seized electronics and firearms are fully processed by investigators,” according to a statement provided by the Lockport Police Department.

The investigation into Spencer began July 18 when the department received information from New York State Police that Spencer had been soliciting sexually explicit images and videos from a 15-year-old girl who lived in New York, police said.

Detectives executed a search warrant of Spencer’s social media accounts, with assistance provided by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, police said.

“Following an examination of the information obtained pursuant to the warrants, detectives were able to identify five victims who either sent Spencer sexually explicit material at his request or were solicited by Spencer to send child pornography or to meet to engage in sexual acts,” police said.

The victims included a 16-year-old girl and two 14-year-old girls from New York, a 16-year-old girl from Washington and a 16-year-old girl from southern Illinois, police said.

On Wednesday, detectives from the Lockport Police Department and agents from Homeland Security executed a search warrant on Spencer’s home and vehicle, police said.