Attorney General Kwame Raoul has brought formal charges against a Jersey County man, identified as Donald J. Herring, 57, from Piasa, Illinois, for the possession of child pornography. The announcement came following a joint effort between multiple law enforcement agencies aiming to crack down on online trading and downloading of illicit materials. According to a press release from the Illinois Attorney General's office, Herring is faced with seven counts of child pornography possession and one count of unlawful possession of a weapon by a felon.
Herring's residence on Oak Rest Road was searched on June 6 as part of a collaborative investigation led by the Illinois State Police’s Zone 6 and South-Central Illinois Drug Task Force, among others. During the search, authorities uncovered evidence of child pornography on Herring's cell phone and a shotgun in his bedroom — the latter significant due to Herring's previous conviction in 2019 for aggravated unlawful use of a weapon charge. "Survivors and their families can face a lifetime of trauma, which is why my office will continue to collaborate with state and local authorities to help survivors receive justice to support their healing," Raoul stated in the press release. Herring is scheduled for a detention hearing on June 10.
The severe nature of the charges speaks to the broader initiatives pursued by the Attorney General's office, especially through the work of the Illinois Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force. Funded by a grant from the U.S. Department of Justice, the task force primarily investigates crimes of child exploitation and supports local law enforcement with training. It's been an active year for the ICAC, with reports of incidents increasing by 46% in 2023 over the previous year. "Preying on vulnerable children and youth is a despicable crime, and Illinois State Police special agents will track down perpetrators whenever we find evidence of sexual abuse and exploitation," ISP Director Brendan F. Kelly was quoted as saying in the press release.
Together with the Jersey County State’s Attorney office, Raoul's team seeks to prosecute these cases diligently. Since 2019, resulting efforts have led to more than 755 arrests of sexual predators, contributing to the overall 2,145 arrests since 2006. The wider network of ICAC comprises 61 task forces and over 185 law enforcement agencies across the country. Public concern towards child exploitation may be channeled through online reporting at cybertipline.com for child pornography, while child abuse reports can be filed at dcfsonlinereporting.dcfs.illinois.gov. Assistant Attorney General Katherine Hegarty is set to prosecute the case for Raoul’s High Tech Crimes Bureau.
