Western Illinois man arrested on felony child pornography charges
A Macomb man was arrested Wednesday on charges of possession and distribution of child pornography.
Fred Railsback, 78, was charged in McDonough County Circuit Court with 10 counts of possession of child porn and three counts of dissemination after investigators with the Illinois Attorney General's Office, Illinois State Police, McDonough County Sheriff's Office and Macomb Police Department found alleged evidence of child porn at his home in the 400 block of Edward Street earlier this month.
Dissemination of child porn is a Class X felony which carries a sentence of up to 30 years in prison, with the possession charges being Class 2 felonies carrying a potential seven-year sentence.
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Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul's office will team up with McDonough County State's Attorney Matthew Kwacala to prosecute Railsback, with Assistant Attorney General Katherine Hegarty leading the prosecution. He said that they were dedicated to ensuring that those who exploit children in any way were held accountable for their actions.
"Child exploitation leaves survivors and their families with a lifetime of trauma and emotional scars," Raoul said in a news release. "My office will continue to collaborate with state and local authorities to ensure these predators are held accountable so survivors can receive justice to support their healing."
ISP director Brendan Kelly said that their agents would do everything they could to see that child predators were brought to justice.
"Illinois State Police special agents continuously investigate cases where there is evidence of child sexual abuse and we will do everything in our power to arrest sexual predators and protect our children and youth," Kelly said.
Railsback is currently being held in the McDonough County Jail. His next court appearance is scheduled for March 20.
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This article originally appeared on Journal Star: Macomb man arrested on felony child porn charges
