Cyber tip leads to child porn charges for Willow Springs sex offender: officials

COOK COUNTY - A convicted sex offender from Willow Springs has been charged with multiple child pornography felonies following a months-long investigation, according to the Cook County Sheriff’s Office.

What we know:

In February, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children alerted investigators to a social media user who had allegedly downloaded and shared child sexual abuse material. 

Authorities said the user was also linked to four other cyber tips involving additional accounts that contained explicit files.

Sheriff’s police obtained search warrants for those accounts, which led them to identify the suspect as Matthew Joseph Johnson, 42, of Willow Springs.

Pictured is Matthew Joseph Johnson, 42. (Cook County Sheriff's Office)

Johnson is a registered sex offender stemming from a 2022 conviction in Will County for possession of child pornography, officials said.

He was arrested Tuesday and brought to police headquarters, where he admitted to viewing and sharing child sexual abuse material on multiple electronic devices, according to the sheriff’s office. 

Investigators said they recovered hundreds of files, including some depicting victims as young as infants.

On Wednesday, the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office approved the following charges against Johnson:

• Charges of dissemination of child pornography, a Class X felony
• Possession of child pornography, a Class 2 felony
• Violation of sex offender registration, a Class 3 felony 

What's next:

Johnson appeared in court Thursday for a bond hearing and was ordered held at the Cook County Jail.