An Elmwood Park man is accused of fondling a teenage boy, taking lewd pictures of him and threatening to release the photos publicly if the boy didn’t have sex with him, authorities said.
Lionel Jackson, 28, was arrested last week and charged with aggravated criminal sexual abuse and child pornography, both felonies, according to prosecutors.
Now, authorities are trying to determine if Jackson abused or assaulted other victims. He is currently being held in the Cook County Jail in lieu of $250,000 bail.
Jackson met a 16-year-old boy at a car wash and invited him to his Elmwood Park home, in the 2600 block of North 74th Court in the west suburb. There the two smoked marijuana and the victim fell asleep, prosecutors said.
Jackson tried to take off the victim’s pants while the victim was asleep, and the boy woke up, prosecutors said.
Jackson took photographs of the boy sleeping and posted them to Instagram, and also took pictures of himself fondling the victim. He threatened to release the pictures publicly if the victim didn’t have sex with him, according to prosecutors.
Prosecutors said the victim later met with Jackson at his home again because of the threats. The boy left the house when Jackson tried to assault him, prosecutors said.
When the boy told his father about the incidents a few days later, police were contacted, and when they used a warrant to search Jackson’s home, Elmwood Park police found incriminating photographs on his phone and further incriminating evidence on his Istagram account, prosecutors said.
Jackson was arrested earlier this year on charges of theft and forgery, both felonies, and that case is still pending, according to Cook County court records. He also has a 2010 felony theft conviction, for which he was sentenced to 18 months probation and community service, records show.
Tribune reporter Jeremy Gorner contributed