GRANITE CITY, Ill. — An Illinois man, who is a computer science teacher at a St. Louis area elementary school, is facing child pornography charges.
According to a press release from Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul, his office charged 46-year-old Ralph D. Hailey III with reproduction of child pornography and possession of child pornography Thursday.
According to the press release, investigators from the attorney general's office, Granite City Police Department and the United States Secret Service found evidence of child pornography while conducting a search of his home on Steelecrest Drive in Granite City.
According to the press release, Hailey is a computer science teacher at Gibson Elementary School in the Riverview Gardens School District.
Hailey could face 30 years in prison for the reproduction of child pornography charge and seven years in prison for possession of child pornography.
“Individuals who exploit innocent children through the dissemination of child pornography must be held accountable,” Raoul said in the release. “These horrific images can potentially leave life-long scars, which is why my office’s Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force works diligently to protect children from these predators."
The arrest is part of the Illinois Attorney General's office's work to investigate child pornography in Illinois. Raoul's office runs the Illinois Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force, which investigates child exploitation crimes and trains law enforcement agencies. It is funded, in part, by a grant from the U.S. Department of Justice.
Online child sexual exploitation can be reported at www.cybertipline.com, and child abuse can be reported at dcfsonlinereporting.dcfs.illinois.gov. Illinois child advocacy centers can be found at www.childrensadvocacycentersofillinois.org.
