Ramsey Man Sentenced on Child Pornography Offenses

Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul has announced that a Ramsey man his office prosecuted was sentenced to prison after pleading guilty to possessing child pornography. 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 pornography online.

Waylon Davis, 26, was sentenced Tuesday to 15 years in prison by 4th Judicial Circuit Court Judge Christopher Matoush, after previously pleading guilty to five counts of possession of child pornography, Class 2 felonies.

“Survivors of child abuse and exploitation are revictimized every time an individual downloads one of these heinous images or videos,” Raoul said. “I am pleased that the defendant is being held accountable for victimizing innocent children. My office will continue to partner with local law enforcement agencies to protect children and communities throughout Illinois.”

Raoul’s office co-prosecuted the case with Fayette County State’s Attorney Brenda Mathis.

“Thank you to the combined efforts of the Illinois Attorney General’s Office and the Fayette County State’s Attorney’s Office for the successful outcome of this case,” Mathis said.

The case is part of Attorney General Raoul’s work to investigate and prosecute child pornographers in Illinois. Raoul’s office, with a grant from the U.S. Department of Justice, runs the Illinois Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force that investigates child exploitation crimes and trains law enforcement agencies. The task force receives CyberTips, or online reports of child pornography, from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Over the last several years, CyberTipline reports have steadily increased. In 2022, reports to the ICAC increased by 26% over 2021.

Illinois’ ICAC Task Force is one of 61 ICAC task forces throughout the country and is comprised of a network of more than 175 local, county, state and federal law enforcement agencies. Since 2019, the Attorney General’s ICAC Task Force has received more than 32,500 CyberTips and has been involved in more than 485 arrests of sexual predators. Since 2006, the Attorney General’s ICAC Task Force has been involved in more than 1,960 arrests of sexual predators. The task force also has provided internet safety training and education to more than 1 million parents, teachers and students, in addition to more than 23,850 law enforcement professionals.

Attorney General Raoul also reminded the public that online child sexual exploitation can be reported at www.cybertipline.com, and child abuse can be reported at dcfsonlinereporting.dcfs.illinois.gov. In addition, local child advocacy centers can be found at www.childrensadvocacycentersofillinois.org.

Deputy Bureau Chief Shannon O’Brien prosecuted the case for Raoul’s High Tech Crimes Bureau, and Assistant State’s Attorney Jessica Carr prosecuted the case for Mathis’ office.