A 60-year-old Crown Point man is facing five felony charges after investigators traced suspicious online activity back to his home and personal devices, then searched his residence this week and hauled away a cache of electronics. John Smolinski was arrested and booked into the Lake County Jail following the search, which capped an investigation that began with tips flagged through a national child-safety hotline.
Cyber Tips Traced Back to a Lee Place Address
The case started after the U.S. Secret Service received multiple cyber tips from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, according to WISH-TV. Those tips concerned activity on Google accounts that investigators traced to a residence and devices belonging to Smolinski, the station reported. From there, the case was handed off for a more intensive look.
The investigation was later transferred to Indiana State Police for further work, per the same account. That handoff set the stage for Tuesday's search, when investigators served a warrant at Smolinski's home in the 9100 block of Lee Place in Crown Point, as WRTV reported. Police said investigators seized multiple electronic devices during the search.
Five Felony Counts, With More Possibly Coming
Smolinski was booked on three Level 4 felony counts and two Level 6 felony counts, all related to possession of child sexual abuse material, according to police. He was arrested and taken to the Lake County Jail following the search, the station's report noted.
The Indiana State Police Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force identified him as 60-year-old John Jeffrey Smolinski of Crown Point in its own account of the Oct. 27 arrest, as reported by Star City News. The case is not necessarily closed at five counts — the Lake County Prosecutor's Office may determine whether to file additional charges once the seized devices have been examined, per the same account.
Part of a Larger Pattern of Cyber Tips in Indiana
Cases like this one often originate far from the town where an arrest eventually happens. The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children recorded 37,755 CyberTipline reports resolving to Indiana in 2025 alone, a mix of 28,000 referrals and 9,755 informational reports, part of more than 1.9 million such reports nationwide that year. The organization notes that CyberTipline reports are sometimes shared with more than one law enforcement agency when a case touches multiple locations or parties, which can help explain how a tip routed through a federal agency ends up in the hands of state investigators.
For now, the Smolinski case remains in the evidence-gathering stage.
