Facing Trial For Allegedly Trading Naked Pics With Teen, Joliet Man Now Charged With Child Porn

JOLIET, IL — With a trial looming for allegedly trading nude photos with a teenage girl he met at church, a Joliet man was slapped with an even stiffer child pornography charge Wednesday.

Rodney Harris, 30, was indicted on two counts of child pornography, one of which is a class 1 felony. Harris’ trial on charges of grooming and the indecent solicitation of a child stemming from the same case was scheduled for January.

Harris was arrested in July 2014 on the solicitation and grooming charges. He spent seven months in the Will County jail before his bond was reduced from $50,000 to $40,000, he posted it and was released.

Harris had traded nude cellphone photos with a 15-year-old girl, police said at the time of his arrest.

The indictment filed Wednesday says Harris “used, persuaded, induced, enticed or coerced” the teen into sending him a photo, and that he possessed the photo.

Harris remains at large. The bond for his new case was set at $50,000.

photo via Will County Sheriff's Department