A 29-year-old Christopher man faces multiple child pornography charges following an investigation by the Illinois State Police Division of Criminal Investigation.
John Mercks is charged with eight Class X felony charges of Distribution of Child Pornography, one Class X charge of Possession of Child Pornography with a victim under the age of 13, a Class Two Felony of Possession of Child Pornography with a victim under 13, and one Class One Felony charge of Possession of Child Pornography for reproduction or sale.
Bond was set at $1-million following his first appearance in Franklin County Court at Benton on Friday.
DCI agents assigned to the Office of the Illinois Attorney General’s Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force received multiple cyber-tips from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. After a thorough investigation, evidence was revealed that Mercks had distributed child pornography through an electronic platform.
Anyone with information on this case is asked to contact ISP Zone 7 agents at (618) 542-1128.
Anonymous tips of child pornography can also be reported through the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children’s (NCMEC) cyber tip line at www.cybertipline.com.
To keep kids safe online, learn more at: https://illinoisattorneygeneral.gov/onlinesafe/; www.cybertipline.org ; For resources for survivors of sexual abuse visit: https://www.missingkids.org/gethelpnow/csam-resources .
