Vernon Hills Home Deemed Uninhabitable; Man Arrested On Child Porn Charges: Police

VERNON HILLS, IL — A Vernon Hills man is facing multiple felony charges after a multi-agency investigation into the possession and distribution of child pornography, police said.

The investigation began after a referral from an outside law enforcement agency and information provided by the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force led detectives to look into suspected activity involving child sexual abuse material at a home on Echo Court in Vernon Hills.

Police obtained a search warrant for the residence, which was executed early Wednesday with assistance from the Illinois Attorney General’s Office High Tech Crimes Unit, the Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office and the Lake County Sheriff’s Office. Electronic detection dogs from the sheriff’s office and state’s attorney’s office — named Enzo and Grip — were also used during the search to help locate electronic devices, according to a news release from the Vernon Hills Police Department.

Authorities said analysis of devices seized during the search revealed numerous images and videos depicting the sexual abuse of children between the ages of 5 and 12 years old.

Alexander Giesen, 28, of Vernon Hills, was arrested on Wednesday and charged with six counts of possession of child pornography and one felony count of dissemination of child pornography. If convicted of the most serious charge, he faces between six and 30 years in prison.

Officials also said Giesen’s residence was declared uninhabitable due to unsanitary conditions, according to the news release.

He is currently being held at the Lake County Jail, and prosecutors have filed a petition to detain him pending trial.