Decatur, IL-(Effingham Radio)- Illinois State Police (ISP) announces the arrest of 28-year-old Dustin M. Blankenship of Decatur, IL for Dissemination of Child Sexual Abuse Material.
On September 11, 2024, ISP, with assistance from the Macon County Sheriff’s Office, executed a residential search warrant in Decatur. The search was related to multiple cyber tips received from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) regarding possession and dissemination of child sexual abuse material.
On September 12, 2024, ISP Division of Criminal Investigation Zone 5 agents presented the evidence to the Macon County State’s Attorney’s Office and Blankenship was charged with six counts of Child Pornography (Class X felonies).
This investigation was a collaborative effort between the Illinois Attorney General’s Office Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, the Macon County Sheriff’s Office, the Macon County State’s Attorney’s Office, and ISP.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Macon County Crimestoppers.
Anonymous tips of child pornography can also be reported through the NCMEC CyberTipline at cybertipline.com. To keep kids safe online, learn more at: illinoisattorneygeneral.gov/onlinesafe/; cybertipline.org; For resources for survivors of sexual abuse visit: missingkids.org/gethelpnow/csam-resources .
The charges are not evidence against the defendant, and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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