Crime & Safety

Joliet Man, Busted for Child Porn, Found to Have 40 Pot Plants

Joliet police, executing a child porn warrant on Timothy Koch's home, were surprised to find a cannabis-growing operation in the basement, Lt. Brian Dupuis said.

Police raided a Joliet man's house Tuesday looking for child pornography and came away with an added bonus: 40 cannabis plants being cultivated in the basement.

The investigation involving Timothy A. Koch, 39, began in October, when investigators for the Will County State's Attorney's Office high-tech unit spotted him as frequenting and downloading items from child porn Internet sites and began following his computer IP address, Joliet Police Lt. Brian Dupuis said.

When they obtained enough evidence, a search warrant for Koch's 1215 Nicholson St. home was obtained and executed at about 11 a.m. Tuesday, Dupuis said.

Officials had no idea Koch was also running a cannabis growing operation from his home until they went inside to search for items related to the child porn case, he said.

"We weren't expecting that at all," Dupuis said.

Police recovered 40 plants being grown under artificial lights in the house's basement, he said.

Depending on the variety and strength of the marijuana being grown, experts say such plants can each produce as much as $1,000 worth of pot.
 
Investigators spoke to Koch at his job as a machine operator in downtown Plainfield and took him into custody shortly after the warrant was executed, Dupuis said.

Koch has been charged with possession of child pornography and producing 20 to 50 cannabis plants. He is being held in Will County jail pending a bond hearing.


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