That picture is pretty funny actually. Love the description of why he is in the area.

Bloody hell. I'll not be visiting the states anytime soon. Frightening stuff

A wise choice.

This picture in any other setting would be humorous. But that this I a forum where people are talking about someone being accused for CP it is in very poor taste.

Come on guys we should be better then this.

I agree 100%. Unfortunately, most people assume a person is guilty as soon as they are charged with a crime like this. Even if John is ultimately 100% exonerated by the justice system, the stigma that accompanies being arrested for such a heinous crime will forever loom over him. It's not fair at all, but that's just how it is. For example, does anyone think Stern would continue to employ him even if he gets off?

Okay I have to ask a question on this comment, if you were truly innocent of any charge against you are you going to cop a plea of guilt on said charges when you know you have done nothing wrong for a chance at a lesser sentence? I know I will not.

Happens everyday. People are soo afraid of getting real jail time that they are willing to take a plea. Even if they are innocent.

Truer than true:

Imagine these two options. Go to trial, 25% chance of conviction and prison for 25 years. Or plead out, no jail time, probation for ten years. Your trial lawyer will cost $50,000-$100,000 or more. The state has essentially unlimited resources to prosecute you.

Did you watch Making a Murderer on Netflix? Avery was wrongfully convicted, eventually got out and successfully sued. While fighting over the amount was framed for murder, forcing him to settle for about 30% to pay his legal team to battle the new charges. I believe he spent over $400,000 and was convicted anyway.

What seems like an irrational decision becomes a rational choice when faced with unthinkable possibilities.

The people that made Making a murderer on Netflix believed Avery to be innocent so they only used facts that could be tweeked to prove their point of veiw , while completely leaving out facts that were undisputable and prove that he is guilty . Avery is a murderer and he belongs in prison .

I 1000% won't ever be in such a position, but feel free to say anything you want if it ever happens.

If people truly cared about rushing to protect John, his right to privacy and justice, this thread wouldn't even exist.

This is a difficult thread. The complaints are very disturbing, any type of abuse of a child (or support of it) is totally unacceptable! Statistics are just that and in the end every case unique. This is a serious charge, and very likely there was some type of probable cause for the judge to issue a warrant, likewise the criminal justice system is far from perfect! Innocent until proven guilt is guaranteed by law, but no such guarantee exists in the court of public opinion. In any case according to court records he was given a $75,000 bond and was released this afternoon with a court date on 9/5/17. It will be interesting to see how John or Stern reacts in the coming days.

whoa whoa whoa. Wait a minute. So you are trying to tell me that the media and tv shows try to tweak the facts to make people believe their point of view?

SO HOW DOES EVERYONE FEEL ABOUT THE NEW STAR WARS GAME?

Is that sarcasm? Police do shoddy, underhanded, completely false investigations all the time!

Yeah its the cops fault. They have nothing better to do than falsely accuse a 70 yr old man because they have a vendetta against him, pinball designer.

"All the time". What does that mean? 1 out of every 1000 cases? 10,000?

Exactly what's wrong with ridiculous comments

Let's not discredit the police. 99% of them are great. They are there to protect our children and our family's when we are away. I hate when people bad mouth the police but the second they need help they are on the phone calling 911.

Have I ever ran into an idiot that gave me a ticket? Yes! Or a power trip ahole? Yes! But the online predator and human trafficking task force? These guys are usually on it. Not much screwing around there. Let's not start with this all cops are bad crap.

Hyde Park isn't exactly a bastion of justice.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/columnists/kass/ct-chicago-aldermen-and-corruption-kass-1215-20161214-column.html

Played it today. Very nice!

Depends on the jurisdiction (Federal or local) and the nature of the charges, and whether the accused puts up much of a fight. I will say the vast majority that are guilty will take plea agreements because they don't want the evidence in the case to be made public. Those cases usually go fast, but I have also seen simple cases take years to adjudicate, and very complex ones over in no time at all.

Woah, another over reaction. He isn't being charged with child molestation. Even liking kids is disgusting, but it's not the same as raping kids. I presume you like women. That doesn't mean you're a rapist and I should be worried about protecting my wife.

If he was accused of watching rape videos, you'd probably be worried about leaving him alone with your wife. That's what is going on in child porn videos, in case you didn't know.

Children are being raped, abused, or exploited. There is no grey area there.

Is that what John is accused of? Or did he have screenshots of the September 1984 Penthouse Pet of the Month who was 16 at the time?
There is a huge grey area. Wait for the evidence.

Markmon argued that watching child porn isn't as bad as molesting them yourself.

That's his opinion, and it's wrong in my opinion.

Anyone expect Stern to make some form of official statement? Or is it unneeded?

They don't even make statements on their own products, so why would they open themselves up to the liability of making any statement now? You may see something if he is convicted, but since he is presumed innocent until proven guilty, they will likely wait and see what happens.

If the local Chicago media picks up the story then I am sure they will make a statement. Until their name starts popping up in the papers, they are sure to ignore it...

Quiet dismissal for now.

Steve Ritchie is on Facebook saying that if people stop talking about it, it might "go away."

Someone then posted a link to Pinside. Given Steve's recent comments about this place, he's not going to like that.

......and he just deleted it.

If this is true then I just lost all respect for him today as well... Don't talk about Child Porn accusations and they might go away? WTF is wrong with people...

Sadly it is. One of my friends just guessed that someone from Stern called and told him to take it down. Wouldn't be surprised.

Better call Saul...

Oh the mob mentality! Before you render judgement on Steve, consider that if the guy is innocent, this will, and should go away. Now if he is guilty? Of course not. I'm not sure Steve was actually suggesting it should go away even in that case. Certainly I would think he is hoping for the best outcome for his coworker/friend, and for Stern Pinball as well. Nobody wants to see the company that kept pinball alive damaged by this, especially those who work there.

He actually did say that it might "go away". I was going to take a screen shot but I remembered Pinside's rules concerning FB posts. Other Pinsider's saw it, though. I'm sure Steve regrets writing that. Dude's a good guy.

I took a screen shot. The text was:

"It was a bad day for pinball. If we stop talking about it, it might go away. Don't post!"

I don't know how to feel about that.

I'm gonna assume the best and think he was suggesting it might go away if John is proven innocent. Of course they want chatter such as here to just go away. It's not good for the company. I'm sure he will clarify given some of these assumptions being made.

I will never have an f'n Facebook account. Good God!

Steve loves pinball. And has dedicated a better part of his life to it.

He was right, a bad day for pinball.

And he maybe doesn't want it to get worse. 440 posts here so far. And on Facebook. And KLOV. Who knows where else.

The quicker time passes. The better for pinball.

LTG : )

Sick Man...

Writing that post was the absolute worst thing he could have done then. Before he deleted it, it was basically 30 posts of people asking what happened because they didn't know.

Sounds to me like he was saying if we don't acknowlege it, it might not be real, as in, he wishes it wasn't real, just make it go away.

He's lamenting it, not actually suggestion it will/should go away.

My read anyway. Sad day for pinball indeed.

Yep, and the people that did know what he was talking about were mixed in their feelings about Steve's post.

Nothing good came of it. Like I said, I'm sure he regrets it. Emotions are understandably high right now.

I also agree that he was most likely lamenting it. I can only imagine how I would feel if a friend and colleague had those charges levied at him. Sad day indeed.

Facts. Uh-huh. Like them "alternative facts"? Or "fake news facts"? Or just the real, old fashioned kind of facts? The ones that are true, often scientific, etc.?

Why are we speaking on a first name basis about this scumbag?? Hes into child pornography for christ sake. Some people on here havent got a clue.

Oh Boo F*&*ing Hoo for poor "John" as we are still calling him. Are we supposed to feel sorry for this dirtbag? Oh hang he could be innocent? He was found in possession of child pornography. And thats just scratching the surface for scum like this usually. Very good bet hes got grooming and sexual abuse under his belt too.

Jeez.