Man, 72, Jailed On Possession Of Child Porn Charges In McHenry County: Prosecutors

MCHENRY COUNTY, IL — A 72-year-old Marengo man accused of possessing child pornography has been denied pretrial release.

A Mchenry County judge has ordered that James R. Gibbons remain behind bars as court hearings move forward in his case. Gibbons made his initial court appearance on Friday and is charged with two counts of possession of child pornography, which are Class 2 felonies.

Local police launched an investigation into Gibbons after receiving a cyber tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Detectives’ investigative efforts led them to an IP address associated with Gibbons’s address in Marengo, according to a news release.

Law enforcement officials obtained a search warrant for Gibbons’s address and located devices containing child sexual abuse material.

During the hearing on the state’s petition to deny pre-trial release, a McHenry County judge found "there were no conditions or combinations of conditions the court could impose to keep the community safe based on dangerousness," according to the news release from the state's attorney's office.

Gibbons’s next court appearance is scheduled for December 26 in McHenry County Court.