ATTORNEY GENERAL RAOUL OBTAINS 50-YEAR PRISON SENTENCE IN CASE AGAINST MAN WHO POSSESSED CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE MATERIAL

ATTORNEY GENERAL RAOUL OBTAINS 50-YEAR PRISON SENTENCE IN CASE AGAINST MAN WHO POSSESSED CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE MATERIAL

September 25, 2025

Chicago - Attorney General Raoul announced a Jersey County man was sentenced to 50 years in prison for possession of 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.

Donald J. Herring, 58, of Piasa, Illinois, was sentenced today by Jersey County Circuit Court Judge Allison Lorton after pleading guilty in May to five counts of possession of child pornography, Class 1 felonies, and one count of possession of a firearm by a felon.

"Today's sentence represents justice for innocent children and their families who are victimized each and every time one of these heinous images or videos are downloaded or shared," Raoul said. "My office will continue to collaborate with local law enforcement agencies to protect Illinois children."

In 2024, Raoul's investigators, along with officers from the Brighton Police Department, Jersey County Sheriff's Office, the Illinois State Police's (ISP) Zone 6 and South-Central Illinois Drug Task Force conducted a search of Herring's residence in Piasa. Herring, who was convicted in 2019 for aggravated unlawful use of a weapon, was arrested when investigators discovered a shotgun in his bedroom and evidence of child sexual abuse material on his cell phone.

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 sexual abuse material, from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Over the last several years, CyberTipline reports have steadily increased. In 2024, reports to the ICAC Task Force increased by 11% over 2023.

Illinois' ICAC Task Force is one of 61 ICAC task forces throughout the country and is comprised 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. Since 2006, the Attorney General's ICAC Task Force has been involved in more than 2,400 arrests of sexual predators. In 2024, the task force was involved in rescuing more than 45 child victims from ongoing abuse. 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.

Deputy Bureau Chief Shannon M. O'Brien prosecuted the case for Raoul's High Tech Crimes Bureau.