Chicago — Attorney General Kwame Raoul today announced that a Perry County man was convicted of possessing and reproducing child pornography. The case is part of the Attorney General’s ongoing work to apprehend offenders who download and trade child pornography online.
A Perry County jury convicted Timothy E. Hedrick, 42, of Cutler, Illinois, of three counts of reproduction of child pornography, Class X felonies punishable by up to 30 years in prison, and five counts of possession of child pornography, Class 2 felonies punishable by up to seven years in prison. Hedrick was remanded to the custody of the Perry County Jail. His sentencing is scheduled for March 13.
“Child pornography leaves victims and their families with lifelong scars,” Raoul said. “My office is committed to working with the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force and local law enforcement to track down individuals who perpetrate these horrible crimes and hold them accountable.”
Raoul’s investigators, with the assistance of the Perry County Drug Task Force – comprised of the Perry County Sheriff's office and the Du Quoin and Pinckneyville police departments – conducted a search of a residence in Cutler and arrested Hedrick after discovering evidence of alleged child pornography. All children depicted were under the age of 13. Perry County State’s Attorney David H. Searby Jr.’s office provided support and assistance to the Attorney General’s office for the case.
“I appreciate all the hard efforts and dedication by the prosecution team and the investigators from the Attorney General’s Office in the matter,” Searby said. “The Perry County State’s Attorney’s Office stands ready to assist the Attorney General’s Office in these types of cases as we did in this case.”
Assistant Attorneys General Shanti Kulkarni and Vanessa Minson prosecuted the case for Raoul’s High Tech Crimes and Sexually Violent Persons Bureaus.
