Lincolnshire Man Charged With Possession Of Child Pornography

CHICAGO — A Lincolnshire man is accused of having pornographic images of a child under the age of 13 following a joint investigation by state and local law enforcement, authorities said.

Malay Vasavda, 45, of the first block of Robin Hood Court, was arrested Wednesday after investigators from the Illinois attorney general's office executed a search warrant at his house. They had help from the Lake County state's attorney's office and Lincolnshire police, according to a release from the attorney general's office.

"The protection of children is of the highest priority for the Lincolnshire Police Department," Lincolnshire Police Chief Joseph Leonas said. "This arrest serves as a fine example of the type of multi-agency cooperation necessary to bring these offenders to justice."

Prosecutors approved three counts of class 2 felony possession of child pornography. Each offense is punishable by sentences ranging from probation to seven years in prison. The charges indicate Vasavda had at least three pornographic photographs of a child under 13.

Lake County State's Attorney Mike Nerheim said in a statement that he was proud of the combined efforts of the attorney general's office and local police.

"This is another example of how partnerships across law enforcement can work together to better our communities," Nerheim said. "We will continue to aggressively seek out an prosecute adults that prey on our children."

Vasavda appeared Thursday in Waukegan before a judge, who ordered him held in lieu of the $50,000 cash portion of his bond ahead of an attorney status hearing Feb. 6, according to court and jail records. As of Friday, he remained detained at Lake County Jail with no attorney listed.

No information about when the investigation began or how Vasavda was identified was immediately available from a spokesperson for the attorney general's office. Any further details will be added here if received.

According to the release, Attorney General Kwame Raoul is working to "apprehend the most active offenders who download and trade child pornography online." He said he was committed to working with local law enforcement to protect communities.

Raoul's office operates the Illinois Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, which is funded in part by a grant from the Justice Department. The task force has been involved in the arrests of about 130 sexual predators every year since its founding 2006, according to the attorney general's office.

"Child pornography exploits and victimizes children," Raoul said. "I will do everything in my power to support efforts to stop the spread of these horrible pictures and videos."