New Lenox Man's Child Pornography, Cocaine Charges: 2-Part Investigation

The arrest of a New Lenox man for child pornography and cocaine on Feb. 12 was the result of a two-part investigation by law enforcement.

According to New Lenox Police Sgt. Louis Alessandrini, the investigation of Michael McGrath, 22, of the 100 block of Terry Ellen Lane, began the week before. A warrant was issued Feb. 8 to search his home.

"We were doing a drug investigation on Friday and recovered several grams of cocaine" from the home, said Alessandrini. McGrath, who was brought in for questioning, gave police permission to search his phone. Some sexually explicit video and photos of what appeared to be an underage girl was found on the phone, he said.

The girl, who was later discovered to be from Tinley Park, "was more than five years younger than him," Alessandrini said.

On Feb. 11, police got a second warrant to search the home. This time, they recovered electronics, videos and the like. The sergeant said, "We arrested him a second time" for two counts of child pornography, manufacture or delivery of cocaine, possession of a controlled substance and possession of marijuana.

 According to the Will County Sheriff's Office, McGrath was booked into the county jail at about 1:15 a.m. Feb. 13. Bond was set at $100,000.

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Police blotter information is provided by the New Lenox Police Department. Charges are not evidence of guilt. They are a record of police actions taken on a given day, and persons charged with a crime are presumed innocent until proven guilty in court. If you or a family member are charged or cited and the case is subsequently adjudicated, we encourage you to notify the editor. We will verify and report the outcome. If you have information about an unsolved crime, call the Investigations Unit at 815-462-6100.