Crime & Safety
Man Installs Hidden Cameras, Records Children Naked: Police
A camera was first found at the home of a family friend, authorities said. Wilbur J. Mathby faces several charges in Lake County.
LAKE COUNTY, IL — A 51-year-old man faces several charges for allegations he hid a camera in a bathroom at a family friend's home and recorded several people, including children, while they were naked, authorities said Wednesday.
Wilbur J. Mathby, of the 371000 block of Loretto Avenue in unincorporated Lake Villa, has been charged with three counts of manufacturing child pornography, seven counts of possession of child pornography and five counts of unauthorized video recording.
Policy say Mathby was living with a family friend on Loretto Avenue when the friend found a strange device plugged into an outlet in the bathroom, according to a news release from the Lake County Sheriff's Office.
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The device looked like a charging cube, which is commonly used to charge electronics. After the woman took a closer look at the device she found a hidden camera, according to the news release. She dissembled the device and found there was a memory card inside of it.
The memory card contained nude footage of herself and others inside the bathroom of the home, according to the news release. The woman reported the incident to police and detectives conducted a search at Maltby's home. Detective found multiple electronic devices, including devices with electronic storage.
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The Lake County Sheriff’s Office Cybercrime Division conducted an analysis on the devices seized during the search, which revealed numerous photos and videos of nude individuals and manufactured child pornography, which was recorded at three different locations.
Police say Maltby was responsible for recording the nude images and videos of both children and adults.
"Our detectives did a terrific job thoroughly investigating this incident, which ultimately led to positively identifying nine additional victims. Due to their diligence, our detectives have been able to provide the first steps of justice for the identified victims," said Lake County Sheriff John Idleburg.
Maltby is next expected in court on Jan. 24.
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