Latest news with #ColinGruenke
CBS News
2 days ago
- CBS News
Illinois State Police trooper arrested on federal child pornography charges
An Illinois State Police trooper, who is also a youth hockey referee, was arrested this week on federal child pornography charges. Colin Gruenke, of Deerfield, is charged with one count of distribution of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography, according to federal court records. According to the charges, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children first learned in September 2024 that someone on the social media platform Kik had used two accounts to upload images of child pornography. An investigation linked the user's email address to Gruenke, and after obtaining multiple search warrants, federal agents confronted him at Illinois State Police headquarters in Des Plaines. At the time, Gruenke was holding an iPhone in his hand, and agents seized it and found evidence of deleted images of child pornography, with some of the children appearing to be as young as 4 years old. Agents also executed a search warrant at his home, where they found a flash drive containing approximately 200 videos of child pornography, including numerous videos showing children being sexually abused by adults, including children as young as 10. Gruenke was arrested on Wednesday, and made his first court appearance the same day, and was ordered to remain in custody pending a detention hearing on Monday. As part of their investigation, federal authorities learned Gruenke plays in an adult hockey league in Northbrook, where he is also a youth hockey referee. Illinois State Police did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Gruenke's arrest.
Chicago Tribune
2 days ago
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
Afternoon Briefing: State trooper arrested on child porn charges
Good afternoon, Chicago. An Illinois state trooper who also served as a youth hockey referee was arrested on child pornography charges this week while at work at the agency's Des Plaines headquarters, authorities said. Colin Gruenke, 38, of Deerfield, was charged in a criminal complaint unsealed in U.S. District Court yesterday with one count of distribution of child pornography, court records show. Prosecutors are seeking to have Gruenke held without bond pending trial, and a detention hearing is set for Monday before U.S. Magistrate Judge Young Kim. Here's what else is happening today. And remember, for the latest breaking news in Chicago, visit and sign up to get our alerts on all your devices. Subscribe to more newsletters | Asking Eric | Horoscopes | Puzzles & Games | Today in History Walter Redmond Burnett knows what you're thinking. The 29-year-old seeking a City Council seat is well prepared for the question lingering around his quest to lead the 27th Ward: Is it fair he be appointed to succeed his father? Read more here. More top news stories: Struggling to pay your rent? Need to get paid for rent you are owed? There's a solution for those issues again after a two-month hiatus: Illinois' court-based rental assistance program reopened July 31. Read more here. More top business stories: The Bulls will open Oct. 22 at home against the Detroit Pistons, followed by a road game against the Orlando Magic on Oct. 25. They finish the regular season April 12 in Dallas against the Mavericks. Read more here. More top sports stories: Fire up your AM transistor radio and get ready to travel back in time tonight to the heyday of the Top 40, when WLS-AM 890 and WCFL-AM 1000 battled it out for supremacy on the Chicago airwaves. Read more here. More top Eat. Watch. Do. stories: Tropical Storm Erin was expected to strengthen into a hurricane today as it approached the northeast Caribbean, prompting forecasters to warn of possible flooding and landslides. Read more here. More top stories from around the world:
Chicago Tribune
2 days ago
- Chicago Tribune
State trooper, a youth hockey referee, arrested on federal child porn charges
An Illinois state trooper who also served as a youth hockey referee was arrested on child pornography charges this week while at work at the agency's Des Plaines headquarters, authorities said. Colin Gruenke, 37, of Deerfield, was charged in a criminal complaint unsealed in U.S. District Court on Thursday with one count of distribution of child pornography, court records show. Prosecutors are seeking to have Gruenke held without bond pending trial, and a detention hearing is set for Monday before U.S. Magistrate Judge Young Kim. Gruenke's lawyer, Rick Meza, declined to comment Friday. According to the complaint, authorities were first alerted in September 2024 that someone using the screen name 'cgiceman' was distributing multiple files containing child pornography through the social networking platform Kik. The screen name appeared to reference Gruenke's involvement with hockey, from playing in a Northbrook men's league to refereeing junior hockey league games, including the 2018 Illinois State High School Hockey Championships, the complaint alleged. After obtaining search warrants for Gruenke's phone and Deerfield condominium, agents with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Investigations confronted the trooper at about 10 a.m. Wednesday at the Illinois State Police Chicago District offices in Des Plaines, the complaint alleged. At the time, Gruenke was holding an Apple iPhone in his hand, which he handed over to the agents. 'During the manual review of the iPhone, officers discovered thumbnails of deleted screenshots depicting child pornography in the iPhone's 'Files' application,' the complaint alleged. The images, which were later fully recovered, depicted 'fully nude prepubescent children with their genitals displayed in a lewd and lascivious manner,' according to the charges. At the same time of Gruenke's arrest, agents executed a search warrant at his home on Waukegan Road in Deerfield, where they found a 16-gigabyte flash drive inside a nightstand drawer in his bedroom, the complaint alleged. In addition to a folder labeled with Gruenke's government-issued email, another subfolder on the flash drive labeled 'DIVX' contained about 200 video files of children as young as nine being sexually abused by adults, the complaint alleged. Gruenke, who has the rank of trooper first class, joined the Illinois State Police in 2019 and currently worked in patrol in Troop 3, which covers the entire Chicago area, according to an agency spokesperson. He's been placed on administrative leave without pay pending the outcome of the case. Gruenke's salary is currently $86,000, state payroll records show. jmeisner@
