Gurnee police recently executed a search warrant at a residence as they continue to investigate the shooting of a teenager.
Police, aided by officers from other departments, went to a home in the 100 block of Wellington Drive on April 6 in connection with the shooting. Authorities did not say what, if anything, they recovered during their search.
The search is part of the ongoing investigation into the April 3 shooting of a 17-year-old.
Police said they responded to the area of Brookhaven and Wellington at 5:07 p.m. that day and found the male teen with a gunshot wound to the abdomen. He was transported to Advocate Condell Medical Center for treatment.
At the time, police said there was no indication of an ongoing threat.
Child porn
An Antioch-area man was charged recently after telling police that someone gave him a phone containing child pornography, but later admitted that the device was his, authorities said.
Stuart Lowery, 35, of the 42400 block of North Poplar, met with Lake County Sheriff’s Office detectives on March 25 and told them that while walking in his neighborhood, a woman gave him a phone and told him there was child pornography on it.
Lowery told police he saw a video on the phone and that the child depicted was a relative, of whom Lowery had legal custody, police said.
During further questioning, he admitted that he fabricated the initial story, police said. Investigators learned that he used a computer program to generate sexually explicit videos of the child and her mother from photos Lowery had taken, according to police reports.
Analysis of the phone turned up other sexually explicit videos involving children, police said. He has been charged with five counts of producing child pornography, police said.
“This is a disturbing case involving someone accused of deliberately creating videos that sexually exploit a child, then attempting to mislead deputies with a fabricated story,” Sheriff John Idleburg said. “We take crimes against children and the most vulnerable very seriously and will pursue every lead to protect victims while holding offenders accountable.”
Text scam
Law enforcement agencies in Lake County are warning residents about a scam involving the use of what appears to be an official court document.
Several people have told police they received a text message that accuses the recipient of having an overdue traffic or toll road violation. The message will often include a link or a QR code that recipients are urged to use to pay their “fine.”
But these messages are scams, police say, and people should not click on the link or QR code.
The sheriff’s office issued these reminders: Courts and law enforcement agencies do not send traffic violation payment demands through unsolicited text messages. Do not click links or scan QR codes included in suspicious messages. Do not provide personal or financial information in response to these texts.
If you receive one of these messages, authorities said, delete the text immediately and do not engage with the sender. If you believe you may have provided information or made a payment, contact your financial institution right away and report the incident to your local law enforcement agency.
Dangerous game
With the end of the school year in sight, Gurnee police are warning against possible consequences related to the “Senior Assassin” game that is popular with graduating high school students.
In the game, students target one another for “assassination” with a water gun. While the victim usually endures just a bit of dampness, police said the game can look deadly serious for people who may be witnessing it.
“Students: We get it, it’s supposed to be fun,” GPD said in a social media post. “But running up on someone with something that looks like a gun, chasing people in cars, or cutting through yards is not worth it. One bad decision can turn into something serious really fast.”
Police said parents should have a word with their kids. People who see suspicious-looking activity are urged to call police, just to be on the safe side.
