Chicago man indicted on 19 new felonies after phone search

Conor M. Burke, 27, faces 19 new felony counts of possessing child sexual abuse material after a Cook County grand jury indicted him on Monday. The new charges follow a forensic examination of his cellphone that police say uncovered a large volume of suspected images.

The case began on Feb. 19 when three girls reported that a man recorded them while they were undressed in a fitting room at the Target on 1616 Sherman Ave. in Evanston. The girls told officers they saw a phone extend over the partition. Store surveillance footage confirmed a man entering a staff room, positioning a phone over the wall, and leaving on foot.

Police did not catch the suspect that day. Detectives later identified Burke as the man in the video. He was arrested in Chicago on April 6 and charged with one count of unauthorized video recording. Prosecutors also secured a search warrant for his phone.

The digital search produced the material for the new indictments. Burke was taken back into custody at his Chicago home on Oct. 5. He appeared for a detention hearing on Oct. 7 and returned to court on Nov. 3.

His initial charge was filed on Oct. 6 for one count of possessing child sexual abuse material. The Evanston Police Department announced the expansion of the case on Monday. Burke is due back in court on Nov. 17 in Skokie.