Illinois State Police (ISP) Division of Criminal Investigation Zone 5 arrested 26-year-old Grant W. Pate of Westville, IL for 11 counts of Possession of Child Pornography (Class 2 Felony) and 11 counts of Dissemination of Child Pornography (Class X Felony).

On March 26, 2024, ISP conducted a residential search warrant in Westville, Illinois.  The search warrant was in reference to multiple Cyber Tips received from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) regarding child pornography.  During the execution of the search warrant, Grant W. Pate was taken into custody and transported to the Vermilion County Jail.

This investigation was a collaborative effort between the Illinois Attorney General’s Office Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, the Vermilion County State’s Attorney’s Office, the Westville Police Department, and ISP. “The dissemination of child pornography is not only disturbing, but dangerous for the victims depicted in the images stated Vermilion County State’s Attorney Jacqueline Lacy. Working with the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force Program to bring offenders to justice is necessary to keep our children safe.”

The Illinois State Police provide the following resource for parents, for the public to report crimes against children, and victims to start their path towards healing and recovery. Anonymous tips of child pornography can also be reported through the NCMEC CyberTipline at www.cybertipline.com. To keep kids safe online, learn more at: https://illinoisattorneygeneral.gov/onlinesafe/; www.cybertipline.org ; For resources for survivors of sexual abuse visit: https://www.missingkids.org/gethelpnow/csam-resources .