Man arrested for videotaping youth
Source: PioneerlPress
By Marlene Hunt
Date: August 08, 2003
A 33-year old Gurnee father living in the upscale Washington Park subdivision was arrested Thursday after police and the Lake County State's Attorneys office received information that he secretly videotaped a 13-year old neighbor girl by using a hidden camera planted in a lamp in the youth's bedroom.
Robert M. Faber, 7206 Presidential Drive, near Almond Road and Route 120, was arrested after Gurnee police were contacted by the victim's father who indicated a neighbor had picked up the video-recording signal on a baby monitor and alerted him to the spying on the young teenager in a bedroom location.
Faber, the father of two young children, is charged with six counts of child pornography, two counts of unlawful video-taping and one count of unauthorized eavesdropping. If convicted, he could face anywhere from four to 15 years in prison, said Patricia Fix, chief of the Lake County state's attorney's office cyber crime division.
Bond was set at $100,000 Friday by Associate Judge Diane Winters. Faber was released from custody after posting the required 10 percent of the bond.
Fix said Faber will be indicted on the charges sometime before Sept. 9. Among the conditions for his release, the court stipulated Faber is prohibited from having contact with anyone under 18 other than his family and may not appear on Presidential Drive.
According to evidence collected by authorities, Faber allegedly installed a pin-hole size camera hidden in a bubble lamp which was given to the girl. The recording device allowed the suspect to videotape the child at all times.
But the unauthorized surveillance came to an end when the broadcast signal was picked up on a neighbor's baby monitor. The parent recognized the bedroom as part of his neighbor's home and contacted the child's father. The victim's father brought the lamp to police who then executed a search warrant for the 7206 Presidential Drive residence and eventually isolated the source.
"We received the report late July 30 and in less than 24 hours searched his home," said Gurnee police Commander Jim Caldwell. Caldwell said Faber was present during the search.
At the bond hearing the judge was informed by Fix that authorities found evidence that the defendant had installed the bubble lamp in the child's room. "When the search warrant was executed, the live video receiver that was connected to it was found in the media area of the suspect's home along with tapes of the 13 year old."
Gurnee police said Faber does not have a previous record. "We are continuing the investigation by interviewing other girls in the neighborhood and those having contact with him or the family," Caldwell said.
Original article at: http://www.pioneerlocal.com/
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