Will County correctional deputy also charged with having child sex abuse materials

A Will County Sheriff’s Office correctional deputy now faces a charge of possessing a video of child sex abuse material in addition to charges of predatory sexual assault of a child and criminal sexual assault.

A grand jury returned a bill of indictment against Daniel Herod, 41, of Elwood, on Thursday with those charges.

A detention hearing has yet to be held for Herod, who appeared in court Thursday to plead not guilty to the charges.

Herod’s next court date is May 2.

Joliet attorney Neil Patel is representing Herod.

The sheriff’s office intends to terminate Herod’s employment, according to statements made by the department April 5.

Prosecutors are seeking to keep Herod in jail after he was charged with predatory criminal sexual assault of a child and criminal sexual assault.

Both offenses make Herod eligible for detention under the SAFE-T Act.

Herod’s release from jail will depend on whether Will County Judge Vincent Cornelius finds he is too dangerous for pretrial release or a flight risk.

His release also will depend on whether Cornelius believes there are no conditions – such as electronic monitoring – that can mitigate the risks of his pretrial release.

Because Herod worked at the Will County jail, he is being held at the Kankakee County jail “out of concern for his safety,” said Kevin Hedemark, Will County Sheriff’s Office spokesman.

Herod was arrested March 27 in Elwood by agents with Homeland Security Investigations, a federal agency that operates within the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

Homeland Security Investigations has worked with local police agencies in Will County on cases involving drug trafficking, child sex abuse materials, retail theft fencing, counterfeiting and COVID-19 relief fraud.