Father Accused Of Directing Creators Of Child Sex Abuse Videos On What He'd Pay To See: Officials

CRYSTAL LAKE, IL — A Crystal Lake man accused of possessing child sexual abuse material also allegedly directed people online about what he wanted to see in videos involving the sexual abuse of children, according to allegations presented in court.

Brent A. Edmonson, 55, faces nine counts of possession of child sex abuse material, all Class 2 felonies, according to McHenry County State’s Attorney Randi L. Freese. Judge Cynthia D. Lamb granted prosecutors’ petition to deny Edmonson pretrial release following a detention hearing Aug. 12.

The investigation began after law enforcement received four CyberTips from the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children concerning the suspected possession and downloading of child sexual abuse material, prosecutors said. Detectives traced an IP address associated with the reported activity to a Crystal Lake residence.

Investigators then identified the owner of the residence as the person associated with a WhatsApp account that allegedly possessed files containing child sexual abuse material, according to the State’s Attorney’s Office.

Detectives conducted surveillance and obtained a search warrant for the home and electronic devices inside. When officers executed the warrant, they found Edmonson inside the residence and seized multiple electronic devices for further examination, prosecutors said.

Investigators discovered that a computer Edmonson was actively using when officers arrived contained five additional files of suspected child sexual abuse material, according to prosecutors.

According to media reports, court documents show Edmonson — a father and AT&T employee — went beyond possessing the material and directed people creating child sexual abuse videos about what he wanted to see. Court documents cited by Lake and McHenry County Scanner allege Edmonson made specific requests to people distributing the material.

The Northwest Herald reported Edmonson directed creators of child sexual abuse videos about what he wanted to see, according to court documents. The newspaper is reporting the videos “showed children with other children, adults, animals, toys and other objects in sexually explicit acts,” Lamb wrote in the detention order. The judge also cited his alleged ability to keep the activity hidden when deciding to detain him, according to the newspaper.

Freese said the case demonstrates how technology can allow law enforcement to identify child sexual abuse material as it moves across the internet and trace it back to the people who possess it.

“Those who seek out this material may believe they are anonymous—they are not,” Freese said. She credited Detective Tietz with tracing the CyberTips from an IP address to a home, a suspect and ultimately evidence that led to the charges.

Edmonson’s next court date is Aug. 26 in Courtroom 304, according to the State’s Attorney’s Office.