The Lake County Sheriff’s Office, in collaboration with the Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, has concluded a proactive investigation into the peer-to-peer distribution of child sexual abuse material.

On March 25, investigators executed a search warrant at the residence of Nicholas J. Gillespie, 43, of Lake Villa. During the search, investigators recovered evidence with the assistance of electronic detection K-9 Enzo of the Lake County Sheriff’s Office and electronic detection K-9 Grip of the Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office, according to a news release.

During the nearly two-month investigation, investigators discovered that Gillespie had downloaded about 80 gigabytes of files believed to contain child sexual abuse material, according to the release.

Following a review of the evidence, the Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office approved five counts of possession of child sexual abuse material. Additional charges may be filed pending further investigation and forensic analysis.

The Lake County Sheriff’s Office would like to acknowledge the assistance provided by the Illinois Attorney General’s Office – Forensic Examiners and Woodstock Police Department during this investigation.