New Child Porn Charge Against Man Accused of Holding Woman Against Her Will
Orland Park and state police worked with Canadian law enforcement to investigate a child pornography case involving a man already in custody for other incidents.
A Chicago Ridge man, who is in jail on charges of unlawfully restraining an Orland Hills woman while possessing child pornography, is now facing another child porn charge.
Matthew A. Wydra, 25, of the 5800 block of West 107th Street, was charged on Jan. 8 with aggravated possession of child pornography, after nearly a year-long investigation between the Orland Park Police Department’s Internet Crimes Unit, the Illinois State Police and the Ontario Provincial Police in Canada.
In Feb. 2012, Orland Park police were notified by the Ontario police of an IP address in Orland Park that was involved in disseminating child pornography, at a location where Wydra used to live, according to Orland Park Police Commander John Keating.
On April 30, 2012, Orland Park and ISP officers entered Wydra’s Chicago Ridge apartment with a search warrant, and took computer evidence.
Less than a month later, Wydra was arrested in Frankfort for holding an 18-year-old Orland Hills woman against her will in his car, as well as speeding and possessing child pornography.
Wydra was pulled over by Frankfort police for driving 82 mph in a 40 mph zone around 12:16 a.m. on May 21, 2012. The woman told police the two met online and she agreed to meet him that night, but she became scared when he said he would drive her out to a Manhattan cornfield to have sex with her.
Once Wydra pulled over, the woman left his car and approached the responding officer. She was crying, breathing heavily and appeared scared, said Frankfort Police Deputy Chief Kevin Keegan at the time.
Wydra has remained in custody of the Will County Sheriff’s Office since then. In Dec. 2012, a new arrest warrant was approved for Wydra in connection to evidence found via the April 30, 2012 search, according to police. The additional charge of aggravated possession of child pornography was placed against him on Jan. 8.
The length of time between the April 30 search and the new arrest warrant was due to the computer analysis that took place, and because Wydra was already in custody, Keating said.
Judge Peter Felice set his bail at $100,000, and Wydra is expected back in the Bridgeview Courthouse for a hearing on Jan. 29.
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