A 54-year-old former Mt. Vernon Township High School Spanish Teacher has been sentenced to 30 years in prison after pleading guilty to three of the 12 child pornography charges pending against him.
David Edwards was sentenced to ten years on each of the three charges for possession of child pornography involving a child under the age of 13. Each of the ten-year sentences must run consecutively under state law, resulting in the total 30-year sentence. Edwards was also fined $2,000 on each of the three counts.
A request for a short furlough before being transported to the Illinois Department of Corrections was heard and denied.
Palatine Police arrested Edwards in suburban Chicago on a Jefferson County warrant that was issued following an investigation that began in July, following a cyber tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department reported multiple search warrants for electronic devices and data, resulting in the seizure of multiple items of evidence.
At the time of the arrest, Mt. Vernon Township High School Superintendent Chad LeCrone released a statement saying that at no time had they been made aware that the allegations concern conduct related to Mt. Vernon Township High School or involved students of the high school.
Correction: The three sentences will run consecutively for the total 30-year sentence.
