Northwestern staff member from Highland Park charged with possession of child pornography

A Northwestern University staff member from Highland Park, Illinois, has been charged with possession of child pornography.

The Lake County State's Attorney confirmed Dr. Stephen Miller was charged with three felony counts of possession of child pornography after he was arrested on Wednesday. 

The Lake County State's Attorney said an investigation starting in June 2026 found illicit activity on a peer-to-peer file-sharing network. Officials said the investigator located Miller at an IP address that "downloaded and shared several child sexual abuse materials."

A search warrant was then executed at a house in the 700 block of Ridge Road in Highland Park. Officials said several electronic devices were seized and examined by the Illinois Attorney General's Digital Forensics Examiners.

"This is child pornography. This is incredibly dangerous material," Lake County State's Attorney Eric Rinehart said. "Possessing child pornography carries up to 7 years in prison."

The Lake County Sheriff said K-9s Grip and Enzo played an important role in the investigation by sniffing out additional hard drives while officers executed the search warrant.

Robert Beach, a special investigator with the Lake County State's attorney's Office, said Grip electronic storage detection K-9s like Grip make a "huge difference" when searching for tiny electronics that might be hidden in couch cushions, a vase, or even stashed away in the ceiling.

"I can't think of a time where she hasn't been right," Beach said.

Grip and Enzo are trained to alert investigators to a chemical commonly used in electronic storage devices like SIM cards and USB drives.

A K-9 with similar skills is credited with helping investigators bring child pornography charges against former Subway pitchman Jared Fogle.

"Having her as another tool to help us do a better job, I mean who doesn't want to do a better job?" Beach said of Grip.

Grip has helped execute more than 30 search warrants this year, but she wasn't supposed to help law enforcement at all. Grip was originally trained as a service dog.

"She pulled a little hard on the leash," Beach said. "As terrible and difficult of a job this is, having to look at the stuff I see day in and day out, being able to take a potential predator or an existing predator out of circulation makes all of the difference in the world."

For Grip, the reward is dinner and a plastic bottle. For investigators, what she finds could mean a predator never gets another chance to hurt a child. 

Miller made his first court appearance on Thursday, and was due back in court on Monday for a detention hearing. Lake County officials said more charges are expected. 

The Lake County State's Attorney's Office confirmed Miller is on staff at Northwestern University's Laser and Electronics Design Core Facility. 

CBS News Chicago reached out to Northwestern University. A university spokesperson said they do not comment on personnel matters.