Princeton man charged with dissemination of child sexual abuse images

A Princeton man was charged with five felony counts for possessing and disseminating child sexual abuse images, Illinois State Police said Tuesday.

Dawson R. Michael, 23, is charged with three counts of dissemination child sexual abuse images, which are a Class X felonies, and two counts of possession of child sexual abuse images, which are Class 2 felonies.

If convicted of the charges of disseminating child sexual abuse images, Michael could face from six to 30 years in prison. If convicted of the charges of possession of child sexual abuse images, Michael could face from three to seven years in prison.

On Oct. 24, state police agents executed a search warrant at a residence in the 600 block of Hidden Lake Drive in Princeton and seized suspected evidence.

On Jan. 25, the Bureau County State’s Attorney approved the above charges against Michael and an arrest warrant was signed. Michael was taken into custody Monday and taken to the Bureau County Jail.

The Illinois State Police provides resource for parents, for the public to report crimes against children and for victims to start their path toward healing and recovery. Anonymous tips of child sexual abuse images can also be reported through the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children’s cyber tip line at www.cybertipline.com.

To learn more about how to keep kids safe online, visit https://illinoisattorneygeneral.gov/onlinesafe. For resources for survivors of sexual abuse, visit https://www.missingkids.org/gethelpnow/csam-resources.