Ex-Palatine Teen Pleads Guilty To Child Porn Charge

PALATINE, IL — A former Palatine resident was sentenced to seven years in prision after he pleaded guilty to child pornography charges as part of a plea deal with prosecutors, the Daily Herald reports. The charge of soliciting child pornography against Edward Vaughan, 19, stemmed from a yearlong undercover investigation by Washington, D.C., authorities and the Cook County Sheriff's Office. An aggravated criminal sexual assault charge against Vaughan was dismissed, the report added.

According to authorities, the investigation into Vaughan began Aug. 19, 2015, when he was living in Kentucky. A D.C. undercover officer was in repeated contact with an individual — later discovered to be Vaughan — via an messaging app, and Vaughan sent the officer photos of an 8-year-old boy who had been sexually assaulted around Palatine and Hoffman Estates.

Vaughan was arrested Oct. 5 in Ketucky, and he was extradited to Cook County on Oct. 19. He also was ordered held on $2.5 million bail at the time. (Get Patch real-time email alerts for the latest Palatine news. And iPhone users: Check out Patch's new app.)

RELATED: Ex-Palatine Man Accused of Sexually Assaulting 8-Year-Old Boy In Cook County

Along with his jail sentence, Vaughan must register as a sex offender and pay more than $1,150 in fines, the Herald reports. His prison sentence was credited 373 days for his time in custody after being arrested, the report added.

More via the Daily Herald

Edward Vaughan, 19 (Photo via Cook County Sheriff's Office)

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