An unusual mystery involving gold-colored tubes in Plainfield shops has ended with an arrest. Police say a 22-year-old Aurora man, Chance A. Keller, was taken into custody Friday after investigators linked him to USB drives containing child sexual-abuse material that were left at two local businesses last December.
Plainfield police said Keller is charged with three counts of reproduction of child sex abuse materials and one count of possessing child sex abuse materials. Officers arrested him at his home in Aurora and took him to the Will County Adult Detention Facility in Joliet. The arrest follows what police describe as a five-month investigation into the abandoned devices.
Police: USBs tucked inside "suspicious gold-colored tubes"
According to a police news release reported by The Herald-News, the case started when two Plainfield businesses turned in "suspicious gold-colored tubes" they had received in December. Inside those tubes, detectives found USB drives.
The devices were sent to a regional federal computer-forensics lab for a closer look. Investigators say that analysis helped them identify Keller as the person who left the drives. Plainfield detectives then obtained a search warrant for Keller’s Aurora residence and say that search turned up additional evidence, along with several statements that police allege link him to placing the tubes at the businesses.
Why federal digital forensics stepped in
FBI-sponsored Regional Computer Forensics Laboratories, known as RCFLs, specialize in pulling data from phones, USB drives and other digital media, work that can recover deleted or encrypted files that might otherwise stay buried. The FBI describes RCFLs as regional hubs that support federal, state and local agencies with trained examiners and advanced equipment.
Local detectives often call in that technical muscle when key evidence is locked inside digital storage. In this case, Plainfield investigators say the lab work on the USB drives was central to identifying a suspect.
Charges, Illinois law and what comes next
Plainfield police say Keller faces three counts of reproduction of child sex abuse materials and one count of possessing child sex abuse materials, according to The Herald-News. Under Illinois law (720 ILCS 5/11-20.1), each visual depiction of child sexual-abuse material can be charged as a separate offense, and both possession and reproduction are treated as felonies. The statute also allows courts to infer an intent to distribute in some situations.
The case is expected to move forward in Will County courts. An arraignment date was not immediately available in public records.
How to report suspected abuse material and find help
Advocates and investigators emphasize that suspected child sexual-abuse material should never be shared or circulated, even for “evidence.” Instead, they urge the public to report tips directly to law enforcement or to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children’s CyberTipline at report.cybertip.org. NCMEC forwards tips to local and federal partners and handles millions of reports every year that can lead to new investigations.
According to county records, Keller is being held at the Will County Adult Detention Facility in Joliet as the case proceeds.
