Former Gurnee Police Explorers' Youth Program Adviser Charged With Child Porn
GURNEE, Ill. (CBS) -- A former community service officer and adviser to the Police Explorer youth program in Gurnee was facing charges of possessing child pornography Tuesday.
The investigation into Mitchell S. Rowan, 23, of Beach Park, began with reports that he had been texting and chatting inappropriately on social media with two 16-year-old Police Explorer program members.
On March 6, a Gurnee Police Explorer told the Explorer Post Operations Adviser that Rowan had been making the inappropriate communications. Rowan was fired form the Gurnee Police Department, and Gurnee police Chief Brian Smith met with Gurnee Police Explorer program members and their families to advise them of the investigation.
In mid-March, Gurnee police got numerous warrants and subpoenas for Rowan's electronic devices and social media accounts. By May, the Lake County State's Attorney's office had assisted with the recovery of about a terabyte of data.
A warrant was issued for Rowan's arrest after the investigation was completed. He was being held on $100,000 bond Tuesday on charges of possession of child pornography, a Class 3 felony.
The Gurnee Police Explorer program allows youth ages 15 to 20 to learn firsthand about police work.
