Area Man Charged With Possessing Child Sexual Abuse Material

LIVINGSTON – An 81-year-old area man accused of possessing explicit material depicting children under 13 remains in custody pending felony charges in Madison County.

Jerry W. Harper, 81, with a listed address at a motel in Livingston, Ill., was charged on Jan. 8, 2026 with five counts of Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM), each Class 2 felonies. The day prior on Jan. 7, Harper was allegedly found in possession of multiple explicit photos depicting children under the age of 13.

The Madison County State’s Attorney’s Office filed a petition to deny Harper’s pretrial release from custody in this case. According to the petition, the Illinois Attorney General's Office opened the investigation after receiving multiple CyberTips from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) in February of 2025.

“In total, there were 347 CyberTips linked by IP address to the motel where the defendant was residing during the relevant period,” the petition states, noting these tips date back to 2022. “Within the CyberTips, there were more than 1,000 images of Child Sexual Abuse Material.”

The subsequent investigation linked Harper to the material after search warrants were executed for his internet service provider. Another search warrant was executed at the motel room he was staying in on Jan. 7, 2026, where multiple devices were seized. The petition states CSAM, appearing visually similar to that appearing in the CyberTips was located on the devices.

Harper was then taken into custody, Mirandized, and interviewed, during which he allegedly made a series of claims, including that he “did not think it was illegal to download ‘child pornography’” and believed the material only qualified as CSAM if the children depicted were 4-5 years old. He also claimed to download the files to his computer, then delete them.

In addition to having access to family members who are minor children, the petition notes Harper “has been living at a motel across the street from a park off and on for 15 years” while identifying himself as homeless.

Authorities also reportedly found a loaded firearm inside Harper’s motel room during the execution of the search warrant, despite Harper not having a valid Firearm Owners Identification (FOID) card after previously being denied one.

The Illinois Attorney General’s Office presented the case against Harper, who currently remains in custody at the Madison County Jail.

All individuals charged are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

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