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ANTIOCH, Ill. - An unincorporated Antioch man has been arrested after he lied to deputies about how he came to have child pornography, according to the Lake County Sheriff's Office.
The backstory:
On March 25, Stuart M. Lowrey, 35, told deputies that while he was walking in his neighborhood, he was approached by a woman who handed him a cell phone and told him there was child pornography on the device. Lowrey also claimed that the woman gave him the passcode to the phone before she walked away.
Lowrey said he went back home, unlocked the phone and saw videos of a young child engaged in sexual acts. He claimed the child was a relative of his.
Sheriff's deputies requested assistance from a sheriff's detective. When speaking with the detective, Lowrey changed his story multiple times and ultimately admitted to fabricating his original story.
Further investigation revealed that Lowrey was involved with an ongoing custody dispute with the mother of the child. As a distant relative, he had previously obtained custody of the young girl. Investigators learned that Lowrey had taken photos of the child and her mother and used an online service to generate sexually explicit videos using those images, including videos of the child.
Stuart M. Lowrey, 35, unincorporated Antioch (Lake County Sheriff's Office)
Lowrey was arrested and initially charged with filing a false police report.
The child was taken into protective custody by the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services and was interviewed by the Lake County Children’s Advocacy Center.
An analysis of Lowrey's phone revealed numerous videos of child pornography, including AI-generated videos exploiting the child and the mother.
On April 1, Lowrey was arrested and charged with five counts of producing child pornography.
What they're saying:
"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 D. 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. I am proud of the deputies and detectives who quickly uncovered the truth and ensured the child was removed from this horrific situation, as well as the Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office for their continued collaboration on this case."
What's next:
Lowrey has been detained while he awaits his trial.
The Source: Details for this story were provided by the Lake County Sheriff's Office.