Latest news with #HeathKnipple
Yahoo
08-07-2025
- Yahoo
Lee County judge allows release of Dixon man charged with disseminating images of child sex abuse
Jul. 7—DIXON — A Lee County judge decided Monday, July 7, to allow the pretrial release of a Dixon man accused of disseminating images and videos of child sexual abuse. Heath A. Knipple, 46, was charged in Lee County on Wednesday, July 2, with six counts of Class X felony dissemination of images of child sex abuse, with each listing the victim as younger than 13. He was arrested by the FBI that day while investigators searched his residence in the 1200 block of Fourth Avenue in Dixon, according to court documents. [ FBI arrests Dixon man on 6 charges of disseminating child sex abuse images: Illinois attorney general ] The charges stem from a cybertip by an online messenger platform that the Illinois Attorney General's Office investigated in July 2024. The platform reported a user for sharing and uploading seven videos and images matching those of known files with child sex abuse images, according to court documents. On Feb. 2, 2025, a search warrant was issued to the phone and messaging platform companies, which provided the IP addresses used to access the messenger account and identified Knipple as the account holder, according to court documents. The day of Knipple's arrest, during an interview with law enforcement, Knipple "admitted to disseminating child pornography on multiple group chats and during conversations in the KIK [messaging] platform. The defendant estimates he shared less than 10 child pornography videos and images via KIK," according to the probable cause affidavit filed by the IAG. The charges are all alleged to have occurred on June 27, 2024, according to Lee County court documents, and each charge is punishable by up to 30 years in prison if Knipple is convicted. Knipple has been held at the Whiteside County Jail in Morrison and is being represented by Sterling attorney James Mertes. Knipple appeared before Lee County Judge Matthew T. Klahn at 2:15 p.m. Monday for a detention hearing wearing handcuffs, leg irons and dressed in an orange jumpsuit issued to inmates. Klahn said that the prosecution and defense have "made this a very, very difficult decision," but denied Assistant Illinois Attorney General David Haslett's petition to detain. He said he would write a written statement for his ruling. Klahn allowed Knipple's release with many conditions, which include GPS monitoring, no contact with anybody under the age of 18, no access to any electronics or the internet and he is not allowed to be present at any schools, daycares, or events that are designed for the participation or benefit of minors. Klahn also said that any internet use by Knipple's wife and three adult children living in the household has to be password protected. Knipple is not allowed access to those devices nor is he allowed to know their passwords, Klahn said. Mertes, Knipple's attorney, said he will write up affidavits for the family members to sign stating that they will comply with the court's request. Klahn told Knipple if any of the conditions are violated and the case is brought to his court again "then we are not talking about release anymore." Knipple's next court appearance is a preliminary hearing at 8:30 a.m. July 23 with Lee County Judge Jacquelyn D. Ackert. A preliminary hearing is held to determine if there is enough evidence to prove whether a person committed an alleged offense and move toward trial. Knipple, through Mertes, filed a demand for a speedy trial on July 3, according to court documents.
Yahoo
05-07-2025
- Yahoo
FBI arrests Dixon man on 6 charges of disseminating child sex abuse images: Illinois attorney general
Jul. 4—DIXON — A Dixon man was charged with disseminating images of child sexual abuse after federal and state law enforcement agencies searched his home. Heath A. Knipple, 46, was charged Wednesday, July 2, in Lee County Circuit Court with six counts of Class X felony dissemination of child pornography, with each listing the victim as younger than 13. The charges are all alleged to have occurred on June 27, 2024, according to Lee County court documents. Each charge is punishable by up to 30 years in prison if Knipple is convicted. The charges were filed the same day that state and FBI investigators, along with Illinois State Police officers, searched Knipple's residence in the 1200 block of Fourth Avenue in Dixon, according to a news release from Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul. The release stated Knipple was taken into custody after investigators discovered evidence of child sexual abuse material. He is being held in the Whiteside County Jail in Morrison, with a detention hearing set for 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, July 7, in Lee County Circuit Court. He is being represented by Sterling Attorney James Mertes. According to the news release, the case is part of Raoul's ongoing work, in collaboration with federal law enforcement agencies and local law enforcement officials throughout Illinois, to apprehend offenders who download and trade child sexual abuse material online. "Child exploitation is a horrific crime that is made even more reprehensible when the alleged offender is an active and trusted member of the community," Raoul said. "My office's Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force will continue to partner with law enforcement agencies at the federal, state and local levels to locate and bring to justice individuals who engage in the exploitation of minors." Raoul's office, with a grant from the U.S. Department of Justice, runs the Illinois Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force that investigates child exploitation crimes and trains law enforcement agencies. The task force receives online reports of child sexual abuse material from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Over the past several years, CyberTipline reports have steadily increased. In 2024, reports to the ICAC increased by 11% over 2023, according to the release. Illinois' ICAC Task Force is one of 61 ICAC task forces throughout the country and is composed of a network of more than 200 local, county, state and federal law enforcement agencies. Since 2019, the Attorney General's ICAC Task Force has received more than 60,000 CyberTips and has been involved in more than 1,000 arrests of sexual predators. In 2024, the task force was involved in rescuing more than 45 child victims from ongoing abuse. The task force has also provided internet safety training and education to tens of thousands of parents, teachers, students and law enforcement professionals. Raoul is reminding the public that child sexual exploitation can be reported online at and child abuse at Local child advocacy centers can be found at Deputy Bureau Chief Shannon O'Brien is prosecuting the case for Raoul's High Tech Crimes Bureau.
