Libertyville Man Arrested for Possessing Child Pornography

A 34-year-old Libertyville man was arrested last week for possession of child pornography as part of a Lake County initiative to apprehend offenders who download and trade child pornography online, state’s attorney Mike Nerheim said in a news release.

Brian Schmitz, 34, is charged with three counts of possessing child pornography, which are Class 1 felonies punishable by 4 to 15 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections (IDOC). He is being held in the Lake County Jail on $200,000 bond, Nerheim said Friday.

Nerheim’s investigators, with the assistance of the Libertyville Police Department and the Round Lake Beach Police Department, conducted a search of Schmitz’s residence. Schmitz was arrested after evidence of child pornography was discovered, prosecutors said.

“My office will continue to pursue the individuals in Lake County who are facilitating the exploitation of children,” Nerheim said. “The safety and security of the children of Lake County is one of my top priorities.”