Spring Valley man charged with possession of child sex abuse images

A Spring Valley man has been charged with possession of child sex abuse material after allegedly downloading the material to his cellphone, the Illinois Attorney General’s Office said in an Aug. 31 news release.

Brandon Swiskoski, 30, was charged with five counts of possession of the material, all Class 1 felonies, and one count of failure to register as a sex offender, a Class 2 felony, Attorney General Kwame Raoul said.

Swiskoski was arrested Aug. 28 after investigators received a cyber tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

Raoul’s investigators, along with officers from the Illinois State Police and the Spring Valley Police Department, conducted an investigation and found downloaded child sex abuse material on Swiskoski’s cellphone, according to the release.

Assistant Attorney General Katherine Hegarty is prosecuting the case for Raoul’s High Tech Crimes Bureau with the Bureau County State’s Attorney’s Office.

According to the release, 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 sex abuse material online.

“Survivors of child exploitation and abuse are revictimized each time these heinous images or videos are downloaded or shared,” Raoul said. “My office will continue to collaborate with state’s attorneys and law enforcement agencies to hold individuals who prey on and exploit young children accountable.”

Swiskoski is detained at the Bureau County jail. His next court date is scheduled for Oct. 23.