Chicago – Attorney General Kwame Raoul charged a Bourbonnais, Illinois man for allegedly possessing child sexual abuse material. 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.
The Attorney General’s office charged Wayne R. Hipple, 38, in Kankakee County Circuit Court with 10 counts of the possession of child pornography of a child under 13, each Class 2 felonies punishable by up to seven years in prison. Sentences are ultimately determined by the court. Hipple is being held at the Kankakee County Jail, and his next scheduled court date is Oct. 10.
“No child deserves the trauma that results from being a victim of online exploitation, and this case is an example of the work we are doing each day to track down perpetrators who are exploiting minors,” Raoul said. “My office’s Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force will continue to collaborate with law enforcement at all levels and throughout the state to protect children and ensure those responsible for this horrific abuse are held accountable.”
Raoul’s investigators, along with officers from the Bourbonnais Police Department, conducted a search of Hipple’s residence in the 500 block of Lakeview Court in Bourbonnais on Sept. 26. An investigation revealed Hipple used a dark web network to download child sexual abuse material. Hipple was arrested after evidence of child sexual abuse material was found.
“This is another case that emphasizes the importance of specialized task forces that work in conjunction with local law enforcement to work effectively and collaboratively to solve complex crimes that otherwise might not be investigated and prosecuted,” Bourbonnais Police Chief James Phelps said.
The public is reminded that the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
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 2023, reports to the ICAC increased by 46% over 2022.
Illinois’ ICAC Task Force is one of 61 ICAC task forces throughout the country and is comprised of a network of more than 185 local, county, state and federal law enforcement agencies. Since 2019, the Attorney General’s ICAC Task Force has received more than 46,150 CyberTips and has been involved in more than 755 arrests of sexual predators. Since 2006, the Attorney General’s ICAC Task Force has been involved in more than 2,145 arrests of sexual predators. The task force also has provided internet safety training and education to tens of thousands of parents, teachers, students and law enforcement professionals.
Attorney General Raoul is reminding the public that child sexual exploitation can be reported online at cybertipline.com and child abuse at dcfsonlinereporting.dcfs.illinois.gov. In addition, local child advocacy centers can be found at childrensadvocacycentersofillinois.org.
Assistant Attorney General Shantikumar Kulkarni is prosecuting the case for Raoul’s High Tech Crimes Bureau.
