DES PLAINES, Ill. – An Illinois State Police trooper and youth hockey referee, Colin Gruenke, 38, has been arrested and charged with distribution of child pornography, according to a federal complaint unsealed Thursday.
Gruenke, a resident of Deerfield, was taken into custody at work at the Illinois State Police headquarters in Des Plaines after federal agents confronted him about disturbing online activity. He was charged in U.S. District Court and remains in custody at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in downtown Chicago. A detention hearing is scheduled for Monday.
Authorities say they were first alerted in September 2024, when someone using the Kik username “cgiceman” was found to be sharing multiple files of child sexual abuse material. Investigators linked the account to Gruenke, who has been involved in hockey both as a player and a referee for junior leagues.
When confronted by federal agents from the Department of Homeland Security Investigations, Gruenke handed over his iPhone. A manual review revealed deleted screenshots of child pornography, later fully recovered.
A simultaneous search of his home in Deerfield uncovered a flash drive in his bedroom, containing 200 videos of children as young as 9 being sexually abused, according to the criminal complaint. One folder was labeled with Gruenke’s government-issued email, and another titled “DIVX” stored the graphic files.
Gruenke, a trooper first class with the agency since 2019, was earning an annual salary of $86,000. He has been placed on administrative leave without pay pending further legal proceedings.
Federal prosecutors are requesting that Gruenke remain detained until trial.
