Huntley police on Wednesday announced the arrest of Jon M. Roth, 43, of Huntley, on 10 counts of possession of child sexual abuse materials involving a victim under 13 years of age, a Class 2 felony, the Huntley Police Department said in its announcement. Roth was a school bus driver for Huntley Community School District 158, according to police and district reporting by the Chicago Focal.
Source: Huntley Police Department announcement (via McHenry County Blog)
Police said the investigation began after the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force passed on information from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children data system about a phone number registered to a person in Huntley that was allegedly attempting to upload potential child sexual abuse material to a cloud-based storage service. Huntley detectives then identified Roth as the suspect, police said.
Source: Huntley Police Department announcement (via McHenry County Blog)
On Tuesday, October 20, Huntley detectives and Illinois Attorney General investigators, assisted by Illinois State Police and a Janesville, Wisconsin, police detective with an electronic-storage detection dog, served a search warrant at Roth's Huntley home, police said. Roth agreed to come to the police department while investigators examined several seized electronic devices, and he was taken into custody based on evidence found during the search, police said. He was to be transported to McHenry County Jail pending a detention hearing, and police said the investigation remains active.
Source: Huntley Police Department announcement (via McHenry County Blog)
District 158 Superintendent Jessica Lombard told the school community the district had no information indicating the material was connected to a district student and no reason to believe it was, the Chicago Focal reported. The district said Roth has been removed from his duties, placed on leave and barred from school property and events, and that a bus aide assigned to his bus had not reported concerning conduct. Police asked anyone with information to contact the Huntley Police Department. Roth is presumed innocent unless and until the allegations are proven in court.
Source: Chicago Focal / Focal News
What is solid
- Huntley police announced the arrest and the 10 Class 2 felony counts in their own statement, reproduced in full by McHenry County Blog and summarised by the Chicago Focal and Particle News.
- Police said the tip came through the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force from National Center for Missing and Exploited Children data, and that a search warrant was served on Oct. 20 with state and Wisconsin assistance.
- District 158 said Roth was placed on leave and barred from its property, and said it had no information linking the material to a district student.
What is only claimed
- What the seized devices contain beyond the police allegation, and whether any further charges follow, is not established — police said forensic examination and the investigation are ongoing, and no court has ruled on the allegations.