In a recent announcement, Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul has brought charges against a Quincy woman for her involvement in sexual assault and the creation and distribution of child sexual abuse material. Blake S. Wakefield, 22, faces three Class X felonies; the specifics of which are one count of predatory criminal sexual assault, one count of manufacturing child pornography, and one count of disseminating child pornography, as detailed in a statement from the Illinois Attorney General's office.
Wakefield's alleged crimes carry severe penalties, with up to 60 years in prison for the sexual assault charge and 30 years each for the remaining two charges. While the courts have yet to determine her sentence, Wakefield remains detained at the Adams County Jail, with the court proceedings set to continue on Oct. 11. The arrest is part of a larger initiative by Raoul's office to quickly and effectively curb the dissemination of such heinous material and safeguard the vulnerable.
The Attorney General has expressed a strong commitment to protect children and families across Illinois from exploitation and abuse. Raoul’s office cooperates with an extensive network including federal and local law enforcement to track down individuals responsible for the abuse of children. In collaboration with the Quincy Police Department, Raoul’s investigators executed a search warrant at Wakefield's residence, situated on the 400 block of Valley View Road in Quincy this Oct. 9.
Raoul's office asserts that Wakefield is presumed innocent until proven guilty. The case is to be prosecuted in association with Adams County State’s Attorney Gary L. Farha’s office, which acknowledged and appreciated the collaborative effort with the Attorney General. In a continuous effort to combat such crimes, the Illinois Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force, funded by a U.S. Department of Justice grant, has been pivotal in both investigations and training. The reported incidents to the ICAC have increasingly begun to rise in recent years, witnessing a 46% increase in reports in 2023 over the previous year.
The ICAC Task Force stands as a sentinel, part of a broader national network aimed at eradicating child exploitation, having contributed to over 755 arrests of sexual predators since 2019. The Illinois task force itself is made up of more than 185 agencies and has been instrumental in innumerable cases since its inception. The public is urged to report cases of sexual exploitation online at cybertipline.com and child abuse cases at dcfsonlinereporting.dcfs.illinois.gov. Assistant Attorney General Jenifer Peck from Raoul’s High Tech Crimes Bureau will take the lead in prosecuting Wakefield's case.
