Shaw Local

News   •   Sports   •   Obituaries   •   eNewspaper   •   Election   •   The Scene   •   175 Years
Crime & Courts

Wilmington man to remain in jail during federal child porn, sexual abuse case

Prosecutors alleged man took minor from outside Iowa movie theater

A Wilmington man was ordered by a judge to remain in custody Friday in a case where he is charged with creation of child pornography and transporting a minor with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Illinois alleged that Ryan Zelek, 28, drove to Iowa to pick up a 13-year-old girl outside a movie theater before dring to his home in Wilmington. The attorney’s office alleged Zelek then sexually abused the minor.

U.S. Attorney spokesman Joseph Fitzpatrick said Friday that Zelek was “ordered detained pending trial.”

Neither Fitzpatrick nor the Federal Bureau of Prisons would provide a booking photo of Zelek.

A federal affidavit signed by FBI Special Agent Carrie Landau outlined the investigation that led to Zelek’s arrest.

On July 30, a 13-year-old female from Clinton, Iowa, was reported missing, Landau said. Before she disappeared, she last was seen at a movie theater with her guardian before she left the movie theater to use a restroom.

Landau said investigators suspect the teen intended to meet up with a man named Ryan, whom she met online. Investigators reported that her cellphone pinpointed her location at Zelek’s residence in Wilmington.

Police reportedly found the teen and interviewed her about the incident. Landau said she told police that she met Zelek on Snapchat and that the two talked about sex and that they had exchanged sexual themed messages before meeting in person.

Landau alleged that when the teen arrived at Zelek’s Wilmington residence, the two played video games before engaging in sexual acts.

Landau said the minor told police that at one point, Zelek blindfolded her and put handcuffs on her before using his cellphone to record at least part of their sexual encounter. Landau alleged Zelek drove the teen back to Iowa and told her that if police questioned her about where she went to just say that she went for a walk.

Landau said Zelek later told police that he picked up the girl and engaged in sexual conduct with her that was recorded with a cellphone.

“If convicted on the count of producing child pornography, Zelek faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in federal prison and a maximum of 30 years,” federal officials said in a news release.

Felix Sarver

Felix Sarver

Felix Sarver covers crime and courts for The Herald-News