Carmi Man, 18, Arrested for Child Porn

As reported in Tuesday's Times, several law enforcement personnel were observed converging on a mobile home at Stewart and Burrell streets in Carmi around 9 a.m. Tuesday.

The Illinois Attorney General's Office has identified a man arrested here this morning as 18-year-old Jedidiah Johnson of Carmi. He is charged with three counts of distribution of child pornography, each a Class 1 felony punishable by four to 15 years in an Illinois prison.

"Possession and distribution of child pornography are not victimless crimes. Every time an offender views, downloads or trades images online, these children are victimized all over again," Attorney General Lisa Madigan said. "Child pornography destroys the lives of these young victims. My office will continue to find these offenders and arrest them."

This marks the 20th arrest in Madigan's crackdown on the most active traffickers who download and trade child pornography on the Internet. Johnson is being held pending a bond hearing.

Madigan said cooperation among state and local law enforcement was key to the success of today's arrest and her overall crackdown on child pornographers throughout Illinois. Today's arrest involved Attorney General's Office investigators, the Carmi Police Department and White County State's Attorney T. Scott Webb.

Johnson remains in the City-County Jail in Carmi pending a bail hearing.