Libertyville, Illinois: a Highland Middle School social studies teacher was charged on 3 July 2026 with eight counts of child pornography after students reported he was recording them in class and a forensic examination found images of students altered with AI into explicit images; ordered detained on 6 July
A 44-year-old social studies teacher who had worked for Libertyville School District 70 for 18 years was taken into custody on 3 July 2026 on eight counts of child pornography (two Class X and six Class 1 felonies), Libertyville police and the Lake County State's Attorney's Office announced. The investigation began on 3 June 2026, the second-to-last day of the school year, after several students told school leaders that afternoon that the teacher had taken inappropriate photos or videos of them in his classroom; the district says it immediately removed him from the classroom, placed him on administrative leave and contacted the police. A forensic examination of his phone by the State's Attorney's Cyber Lab found numerous images of students that had been altered using artificial intelligence to create explicit images, and search warrants at his home, assisted by electronic-storage-detection dogs, recovered further devices and explicit child images; the State's Attorney's Office told the Chicago Tribune that an AI program was used to place students' heads on other people's bodies, and CBS Chicago reported that officials said he took photos and videos of current and former students. Court documents reported by Patch say some images depicted girls he knew or should have known were under 13. At a detention hearing on 6 July a Lake County judge ordered him held pending proceedings, with a preliminary hearing set for 30 July 2026; no later development was found. The district superintendent told parents that supporting students' well-being was the immediate focus and that resources were being made available; authorities said they would keep affected families informed and connect them with support services. Officials initially gave a different first name for the teacher, corrected in later copy; he is not named here.
AI involvement reported · Causal attribution alleged · 6 sources, 1 underlying account · Added 06/07/2026