A 26-year-old Ramsey man has been sentenced to 15 years in prison after earlier pleading guilty to five counts of possession of child pornography.
Judge Christopher Matoush handed down the sentence to Waylon Davis in Fayette County Court.
The prosecution was handled by the Illinois Attorney General’s office and the office of Fayette County State’s Attorney Brenda Mathis.
Attorney General Kwame Raoul says survivors of child abuse and exploitation are revictimized every time an individual downloads one of these images or videos and he’s pleased that the defendant is being held accountable for victimizing innocent children. He says his office will continue to partner with local law enforcement agencies to protect children and communities throughout Illinois.
Raoul’s office, with a grant from the U.S. Department of Justice, runs the Illinois Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force that investigates child exploitation crimes and trains law enforcement agencies. The task force receives CyberTips, or online reports of child pornography, from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Over the last several years, CyberTipline reports have steadily increased. In 2022, reports to the ICAC increased by 26% over 2021. Since 2019, the Attorney General’s ICAC Task Force has received more than 32,500 CyberTips and has been involved in more than 485 arrests of sexual predators. Since 2006, the Attorney General’s ICAC Task Force has been involved in more than 1,960 arrests of sexual predators. The task force also has provided internet safety training and education to more than 1 million parents, teachers and students, in addition to more than 23,850 law enforcement professionals.
Attorney General Raoul also reminded the public that online child sexual exploitation can be reported at www.cybertipline.com, and child abuse can be reported at dcfsonlinereporting.dcfs.illinois.gov. In addition, local child advocacy centers can be found at www.childrensadvocacycentersofillinois.org.
