A former Lake County probation officer facing child pornography charges — allegedly involving juveniles he worked with as part of his job duties — is out of jail after posting a $25,000 cash bond.
Matthew Goebel, 26, of Morton Grove, who turned himself in to authorities Friday following a special investigation by the Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office, put up the cash bond later that day to satisfy the 10 percent of his $250,000 bail.
Goebel is charged with solicitation of child pornography, possession and dissemination of child pornography, indecent solicitation of a child and grooming, according to the state’s attorney’s office.
It was revealed in court Monday, and investigators confirmed, that the charges against Goebel involved two juveniles under the age of 18 that he came into contact with while a juvenile counselor at the Depke Juvenile Justice Center in Vernon Hills.
According to the Lake County Circuit Court’s Probation Department, Goebel worked for several months as a juvenile counselor at the Depke Center before applying for and landing a job as an adult probation officer last July.
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He was fired from his position in the fall after the investigation was initiated, officials said. The state’s attorney’s Special Investigations Division opened the investigation after allegations of misconduct came to the attention of the Probation Department, officials said.
Following Goebel’s arrest, Lake County State’s Attorney Michael Nerheim said the case was “particularly troublesome” because it involves an alleged “betrayal of the public’s trust.”
Goebel faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted of the most serious charges against him.
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