Jacksonville Man Sentenced to Eight Years for Child Pornography Possession

Troy A. Thomas, 42, of Jacksonville pleaded guilty to one count of possession of child pornography and was sentenced to eight years in the Illinois Department of Corrections, capping a five-month legal process that began with a search warrant executed at his residence in the 700 block of South Church Street last October.

Jacksonville Police detectives spent a month investigating allegations involving child pornography and the illegal videotaping of a minor before executing that warrant on October 15, 2025. Thomas was arrested on charges related to both possession of child pornography videos and illegal videotaping of a person under the age of 18. Two days later, on October 17, 2025, he made his first appearance in Morgan County Circuit Court, where prosecutors successfully petitioned to have him detained pending trial.

Under the negotiated plea agreement reached Tuesday, Thomas pleaded guilty to the single possession count while the illegal videotaping charge was dismissed. Beyond the eight-year sentence, he will serve 18 months of mandatory supervised release upon his release and was ordered to pay a $2,000 county fine. He received credit for 154 days already served in the Morgan County Jail. No further details about the month-long investigation were released.

The Thomas sentencing is one of several child sexual abuse material prosecutions to move through Morgan County courts in recent months. In January, Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul announced that Gary Steininger, 50, of South Jacksonville was sentenced to 24 years in prison by Morgan County Circuit Court Judge Christopher Reif after pleading guilty to two Class X felony counts of dissemination of child pornography involving children under the age of 13. Raoul's investigators, working alongside the South Jacksonville Police Department, searched Steininger's residence in May 2025 and arrested him after discovering evidence that he had shared the material.

"Survivors of child abuse and exploitation are revictimized every time an individual downloads or trades one of these horrific images," Raoul said. "My office's Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force works tirelessly to hold accountable individuals who exploit children. We will continue to partner with local law enforcement to identify and prosecute these offenders."

Federal authorities have also been active in the region. A federal grand jury returned an indictment against Daniel Brannan, 47, of Jacksonville, charging him with trafficking in and possessing child pornography in the Central District of Illinois. FBI Springfield Special Agent in Charge Christopher J.S. Johnson noted that the operations reflect coordinated efforts across jurisdictions: "These operations are successful due to a combination of local and state partnerships, the relentless work of our investigative bodies, and the commitment we have to keeping our local neighborhoods safe." As a matter of law, an indictment is an allegation, and Brannan is presumed innocent unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

Separately, Capitol City Now reported that James K. Macrander, 45, was arrested in Jacksonville on a charge of predatory criminal sexual assault with a victim under the age of 13 and remains in the Morgan County Jail. Lindsey Prather, 43, was also arrested on child sexual abuse-related allegations.

Anyone with information about suspected child exploitation can contact the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children's 24-hour hotline at 1-800-THE-LOST or through onmissingkids.org, or reach the FBI's tipline at 1-800-CALL-FBI and tips.fbi.gov.