A gymnastics coach who spent the past decade working with 2- to 17-year-old children in Downers Grove was arrested on suspicion of possession of child pornography, according to investigators with the DuPage County sheriff’s office.
Wyatt Kopka, 30, later was charged in connection with the child pornography and faces five counts of possessing it, according to a news release from the sheriff’s office. DuPage County prosecutors indicted Kopka on an additional seven felony counts, including counts of manufacturing and producing child pornography, authorities said.
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The sheriff’s office and Clarendon Hills Police Department executed a search warrant at Kopka’s residence May 4, authorities wrote. A search of his computer allegedly revealed files containing child pornography on Kopka’s electronic devices, and he was taken into custody May 10, officials said.
Kopka is expected to be arraigned Thursday morning. He could face between 47 and 120 years in prison if convicted on all charges. A judge set his bond at $600,000, according to authorities. Kopka also worked under the name Shannon D. Kopka, authorities said.
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“These are very heinous and sensitive cases — when the suspect is a person of trust or influence — that require a certain finesse as the allegations likely affect entire families and communities,” DuPage County Sheriff James Mendrick said in a statement.
The sheriff’s office encouraged people wanting to report information related to the investigation into Kopka to contact its Digital Forensics Unit at (630) 407-2312.
