Scholtes is being held without bond pending a Friday morning detention hearing on charges that he accessed thousands of kiddie porn photos and tapes on a computer located in the home where he lived with his mother.
A federal complaint charges Scholtes with receiving a computer video file containing child pornography in late May of last year.
Authorities say the video shows three boys, approximately 8 to 10 years old engaging in acts of sexual conduct. The computer seized from Scholtes home had stored at least 100 images and five videos, containing child pornography, said federal authorities.? Some of the electronic files were named after players on teams that Scholtes coached, according to the court affidavit. One was labeled "father and daughter."
Investigators say that Scholtes had an account with an online purveyor of illegal child pornography and that he used the log-in name of "boypleaser."
A camcorder and digital camera were also seized from Scholtes' home during the raid, along with a large quantity of digital video discs and tapes.
Investigators say they learned last month that a 10-year-old player on Scholtes' soccer team and the youth's parents alleged that Scholtes had made a sexual solicitation while driving him home after the soccer practice. The complaint does not charge that Scholtes engaged in actual sexual contact with the youth.
On its website, the Coal City Soccer Club states "We have taken action and have removed Tim Scholtes from the presidency. His affiliation with Coal City Soccer Club is pending the outcome of the investigation of the allegations."
Federal agents say they interviewed one Coal City woman who recalls seeing a photograph of her child two years ago, in 2007, posed on Scholtes lap. The youngster was "5 or 6 years old" at the time according to investigators was seated on the lap of a shirtless Scholtes in a photo apparently taken by his webcam.
The I-Team found a posting on an Australian travel blog dated Oct. 12, 2007 and written by a person named Tim using Scholtes return email address. The post states "Will be in Sydney November 3rd & 4th. Would like to know about gay areas or have some hook ups. E-mail me if you want more info …Prefer 16 - 30 but open minded to all. I will be 43 on November 4th. Will be staying at local hotel for the night."
The Coal City Courant newspaper reports that Scholtes was a 14-year veteran of the local fire department and has been dismissed from his job."Scholtes was a member of the Illinois Department of Public Health's Illinois Medical Emergency Response Team (IMERT) and in 2005 traveled with the group to Louisiana to aid in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina," the newspaper reported.
