Wonder Lake man arrested for possession of child pornography
WONDER LAKE – The McHenry County Sheriff’s Office recently teamed up with members of the Illinois Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to investigate reports of child pornography—or what is also referred to as Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM).
On March 1, law enforcement personnel executed a search warrant in the 5000 block of Willow Drive in Wonder Lake.
“In November 2021, an electronic service provider reported to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) Cyber Tip Line that a user has possessed multiple files containing CSAM,” stated the McHenry County Sheriff’s Office in a March 3 press release. “NCMEC reported the tip to the Illinois Attorney General’s Office Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, which was subsequently assigned to the McHenry County Sheriff’s Office in January 2022.”
Following the search warrant, 39-year-old David M. Peters of Wonder Lake was taken into custody as a result of an arrest warrant that had also been issued to law enforcement agencies.
Peters was charged with 19 Class 2 and Class 3 felony counts of “Possession of Child Pornography” or CSAM, which ultimately led to his incarceration at the McHenry County Adult Correctional Facility in Woodstock.
On March 2, however, Peters was released after posting bond. His preliminary court hearing is scheduled to take place on March 4.
With a grant from the U.S. Department of Justice, Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul and his office established the ICAC Task Force to investigate child exploitation crimes and train law enforcement agencies.
Since 2019, the Illinois ICAC Task Force has received more than 20,700 “CyberTips,” or online reports of child pornography, and has been involved in more than 1,780 arrests of sexual predators since 2006.
According to Raoul, reports to the ICAC Task Force have steadily increased in 2021 by 42% over 2020.
“Child pornography exploits children and often leaves victims and their families with lifelong trauma,” said Raoul. “My office is committed to continuing to work through the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force and with local law enforcement to track down and stop the individuals who perpetuate these horrible crimes.”
Illinois’ ICAC Task Force is one of 61 ICAC Task Forces throughout the country and is comprised of a network of more than 285 local, county, state, and federal law enforcement agencies.
In addition, the Illinois ICAC Task Force covers 101 of Illinois’ 102 counties.
The task force has also provided Internet safety training and education to more than 959,000 parents, teachers, and students and more than 23,100 law enforcement professionals.
“Victims of child pornography are revictimized each time these horrific images are downloaded or shared,” Raoul explained. “I am committed to holding accountable offenders who prey on our children, and my office will continue to partner with local law enforcement agencies to protect communities throughout Illinois.”
To report online child exploitation, send an email to [email protected].
To report child pornography, individuals can send an email to [email protected] or can call the Cyber Tip Line at 800-843-5678 to make an anonymous report.
